Sunshine - Victimisanothernameforlover

  by John Clarkson

published: 18 / 4 / 2005

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Review

When vocalist Kay and guitarist Jir formed their band in the city of Tabor in the Czech Republic in 1994, they chose the name for it of Sunshine out of sarcasm. In the decade since then Sunshine have been through a lot of changes, They have expanded from a two piece into a four piece with the induction of bassist and synth programmer Amak and drummer Dan into the line-up. There have been three albums. A fourth, 'Moonshowers and Razorblades', is on its way in May, and they have toured, to increasing acclaim, in both Europe and America with the likes of of At the Drive In, the Murder City Devils and most recently the Bellrays. Their music has also developed from raw, abrasive beginnings into something much more commercial. Yet for all this the self-proclaimed "punk rock/electro/noise terrorists" have never lost their sense of playfulness. 'Victimisanothernameforlover', the first single from 'Moonshowers and Razorblades' has appeared before as the lead track on 'Electric ! Kill ! Kill !', a limited edition 5 song Sunshine EP, which came out at the end of last year. This new version, however, also features an additional exclusive mix by Pete Marder of London electro-punks Discordinated. Huge slabs of rippling synths which recall the Primal Scream of 'Xtrmntr' and 'Evil Heat' are merged with Amak's volcanic rumbles of Peter Hook style bass. In the role of a vampiric sexual predator, Kay meanwhile sounds with his silkily brazen vocals like a super sleazy version of Dave Vanian from the Damned. "I can be your enemy and make you cry" he leers, but with such tongue-in-cheek and hammed-up aplomb that this comes across as funny rather than even remotely disturbing or nasty. There is, of course, nothing original in anything in which Sunshine are doing. They could be described as a hybrid of the best bits of other peoples' ideas. Amusing and catchy, 'Victimisanotherlover' is, however, enormously entertaining., and, with indie rock's current preferences for the forlorn and the melancholic, Sunshine's pantomine theatricals are like a breath of fresh air.

Track Listing:-

1 Victimisanothernameforlover
2 Victimisanothernameforlover (Pete Mauder Remix)
3 What You've Got