Sad Day for Puppets - Unknown Colors

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 30 / 5 / 2009

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Review

Sad Day for Puppets formed in 2006 in Stockholm and are fronted by the beautiful Anna Eklund. 'Unknown Colors',their debut album, came out in their native Sweden last year and has now been released in the UK with two bonus tracks, after a series of vinyl single releases and a compilation, as the first full-length CD album by a band on the London-based shoegazing club night and label Sonic Cathedral. 'Little Lights', which opens the album, is trippy in a 90s-style hippy summery way and is reminiscent of Lush at their best. 'Blue Skies Sounds' also sounds again like a decent 90s indie track with shoegazing or trippy Americana influences. Like a Belly or Throwing Muses track, it is a song to look at the sky too, or your shoes, hold hands too and sway to its beauty. 'Marble Gods' was their first single for their UK label Sonic Cathedral. It is a fine example of decent Americana-based pop. Full of shine, it recalls the Primitives at their best. It also has a slacker Dinosaur Jr cool to it. 'Mother's Tears' has a slow beat and, with its distorted sound, is reminiscent of the Raveonettes. 'Cherry Blossoms' is a sugar-flavoured 90s girl pop number that again has an element of the Primitives. 'Lay Your Burden on Me' in contrast has traces of Mazzy Star and is very slow and very seductive. 'When the Morning Comes' is a lovely-sounding number with vocals and guitar that are gentle on the ears. 'Last Night is a nu gaze pop number, a song to sway and dance too. The wonderfully-titled 'Shiny Teeth and Sharpened Claws' is Americana-flavoured and sounds like a decent Breeders number. 'Romans' is a joyful Kristen Hersh-influnced track. 'All the Songs' is a slo-core Americana number, as gentle as a new mother to her new child, while 'My Twin Star' has a slow Mazzy Star beat. 'Withering Petals and Dust' is a charming alt. country track. 'When You Tell Me that You Love Me', the first of the UK exclusive tracks, is gentle and gorgeous, a song to put a smile on your face, while 'Saddest Cloud' is very sad and beautiful and as charming as a sunny day. A great debut album.

Track Listing:-

1 Little Light
2 Blue Skies
3 Marble Gods
4 Mother's Tears
5 Cherry Blossom
6 Lay Your Burden On Me
7 When The Morning Comes
8 Last Night
9 Shiny Teeth And Sharpened Claws
10 Romans
11 All The Songs
12 My Twin Star
13 Withering Petals And Dust

Label Links:-

http://www.soniccathedral.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/soniccathedra
https://twitter.com/soniccathedral
https://www.youtube.com/user/https%3A/