To coincide with
November's Japanese tour, Swedish five-piece Sad Day For Puppets
are set to release a
compilation of rarities, b-sides and new versions of tracks from
their debut EP 'Just Like
A Ghost'. Available
digitally worldwide (and with a CD exclusive to Japan due in
October), 'Shift
Another Color' is
more than just a tying up of loose ends for completists, it also acts
as a great introduction for those new to SDFP's sparkling melodies
and squalling shoegaze guitars – matching the quality of their two
studio albums thus far, whilst also being a concise seven tracks.
Last
year's stand alone single Again
opens
proceedings in grand fashion. Few bands could afford to not include a
song of such calibre on a studio album, and the same can be said of
2009's double A-side When
You Tell Me That You Love Me/Withering Petals And Dust, the
former of which appears twice here; the heartbreakingly tender
original version and the blistering, surging rework. Three previous
EP tracks are also given the walls-of-guitar makeover. Set
Alight is
the most successful, the injection of sonic steroids boosting what
was already one of their finest moments, whilst Big
Waves is
also improved by a less drastic facelift, retaining the fragility of
the original. Less successful is the beefed-up remake of Hush
which
loses some of the soul and sweetness of its 2008 predecessor.
On
the whole any criticism of 'Shift
Another Color' is
nitpicking, there isn't any filler here and the compilation of these
recordings is useful and worthwhile rather than a fan-exploiting
cash-in. It also marks a transition for the band, the lullaby-like
melodies remain intact but are being increasingly coated with layers
of guitar which are more than worthy of comparisons to the likes of
My Bloody Valentine or Dinosaur Jr. SDFP are gradually evolving,
honing their sound, and the fact that they're still relatively
unknown is criminal. Bring on the next album.
Set Alight 2011 Sad Day For Puppets by HaHa FONOGRAM
Sad Day For Puppets 'Big Waves 2011' by Sonic Cathedral
Sad Day For Puppets on Myspace
Buy the album
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