Wandering through the breezy hallways of the sonic castle inhabited by Sunny Day Sets Fire, you might find yourself seeking an extended stay at the Summer Palace, the first full-length release from the indie Brit rockers. Painting with a diverse musical palette, SDSF borrows more than a few tricks from the collective grab bag of the 60s-influenced smiley pop scene across the pond. The groovy atmosphere on several of the tracks, especially "Stranger" and "Mandarins" wouldn't be out of place alongside tracks by The Monkees. That said, SDSF never strays into the saccharine territory of the aforementioned TV band. Just when this record starts to lull you into a Prozac-induced picnic mood, the beautifully sparse "Siamese" brings you back to the realization that this band is not all daisies and sunshine; but you’d already know that had you been paying attention to the lyrics along the way. Lead singer Mauro channels more than his fair share of retro greats and, in spite of his somewhat distinct and completely bizarre pronunciations along the way ("Teenagers Talking"), manages to charm your face off bearing a passing vocal resemblance to a rough-around-the-edges Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal) or James Mercer (The Shins). The endearingly twee beats and handclaps on "Adrenaline" prove that SDSF can clearly draw from the current musical landscape and provides an entertaining vehicle for multi-instrumentalist Onyee's vocal contributions. Other than a somewhat overly expansive second half of the record ("Map Of The World" was a bit of an odd choice), Sunny Day Sets Fire sets off running with a sound sure to jumpstart your summer.
--Mark Sanderlin [July 12, 2008]
