Sunfold - Toy Tugboats

Genre indie-rock Publisher Terpsikhore Records

Even in this day and age, when every artist seems to have a side project on offer, Sunfold is a bit of a rarity.  Technically, it is a side project led by front man Kenny Florence of Annuals.  Dig a little deeper and you will notice that he also brought along all five of his fellow band members.  So, in the end, we have more of an excuse for the band to create a vastly different sound and not be harassed for abandoning fans, than an individual taking a break from his normal settings.  And, on Toy Tugboats, Florence and company do make that departure from their familiar territory.  Stepping away from their more electronic and experimental work as Annuals, Sunfold plays a more traditional, guitar driven brand of indie rock.  Here we find the band essentially playing for itself, shifting tone and style as the mood strikes.  One track might come off as an alt-country rocker from the likes of Conor Oberst and be followed by a song that would not be out of place in a jazz lounge act. 

Which brings us to one of the problems of this collection.  Many of the tracks feel as if they might have been lifted from other groups repertoires.  “Shrinking the Sphere” sounds like it was recorded by Incubus, from the guitar riffs all the way to Mr. Florence’s vocal inflection.  And, as previously mentioned, “Shapeshiftin’” would not seem out of place on Conor Oberst’s most recent solo album. 

Ironically, it is when the band slides towards Annuals territory that Toy Tugboats starts to shine.  While musically there is still quite a distinction, these tracks tend to be more experimental and have more of the high-drama of their other iteration’s work.  “Gnosis” is a jazz-inflected lounger that invokes latter day Elvis Costello, with Sunfold’s own twists.  In spite of the border-line nonsensical lyrics, Kenny Florence’s vocals carry this track over a hypnotic medley of piano and strings.  Following this same dream-like, lounge-like atmosphere is “Osk.”  Using high minded metaphors and imagery, the band paints a relatively straightforward picture of being in love and satisfied with where you are. 

Sunfold is a collection of extremely talented musicians and it is interesting to see the group branch out from their comfort zone.  That said, it is difficult to recommend Toy Tugboats to any but the most devoted follower of Annuals.  This very much sounds like the band getting something out of their systems before going back to their main line gig, and as such comes across as self indulgent and in cohesive.  There are tracks worth the price of a single track download (the previously mentioned “Gnosis” and “Osk” spring to mind).  For everyone else, we would suggest checking out Annuals’ other works before this.