The Sun - Blame It On The Youth

The Sun is a bit schizophrenic when it comes to songwriting. The basic jist of it is that Blame It On The Youth is a rock album. Fortunately for the band, rock is a wide landscape in which to create your work, ranging from Strokes-esque rock with a touch of pop ("Must Be You") to the melancholy ballad ("We Tried") or straight on into some frenzied acoustic number backed by a droning keyboard line and spooky vocal breaks ("2B4" - one of my personal favorites). The most accessible track on the disc would likely be "Rockstop," with its eclectic mix of spacey keys, super dirty guitar break, and dancey vocal line. But, on the whole, the record is pretty much solid from start to finish. Granted, there's a moment at about 2 minutes 15 seconds into "Say Goodbye" with a guitar squealch that sounds like it was accidentally left in - completely awkward - but if the biggest flaw on your record only lasts for about 5 seconds you aren't doing too bad. So who's going to enjoy The Sun? Basically anyone who has enjoyed a band that's been described as "Garage Rock" will probably find something enjoyable here. The songs are catchy; the music is innovative and diverse even within the "confines" of garage rock, and the lyrics are somewhat poignant at times without crossing the line of overly obtuse or nonsensical. Blame It On The Youth will probably get devoured by the complete onslaught of somewhat similar bands, but it would be a shame not to have this one in your collection to show that good rock bands are still making records. [www.thesunwebsite.com]