New album by Sunflower Bean
Out on March 23rd via Lucky Number record label

Reviewed by Rob Harrison

Sunflower Bean return to the musical fray, after two years performing their last album Human Ceremony on tour. They are now ready to tour the new album ‘Twentytwo in Blue’.

Having fallen in love with the last single ‘I Was a Fool’, which was a slice of classic pop, this punter/reviewer was keen to sample the new album.

I was not disappointed. The album kicks in with the aptly titled ‘Burn It’ which, dare I say, is a bit of a burner, and a glam rock one at that too .

The classic pop idea seems to permeate the album with other tracks like ‘Twenty Two’ with its gorgeous harmonies, courtesy of Julia Cummings the lead vocalist.

The band have been compared to Fleetwood Mac, but I think this has more to do with the pop sensibility of the tunes than a plunge into MOR territory for Sunflower Bean.

The glam rock idiom continues with ‘Crisis Fest’ with its groovy drum intro, bringing comparisons to The Sweet, and other bands of that period. Another track

‘Any Way You Like’ sounds like the Velvets meets the Beach Boys. All good.

So many albums now just tend to be a collection of hook laden empty pop songs, but Sunflower Bean beg to differ, pointing the way to making a proper album, one which is a complete spectrum of musical colours rather than a giant red splurge. Well that’s pop synthesia for you.

But apart from it being a perfect slice of priceless pop perfection, there’s politics there too kiddies, after touring America for two years and speaking to the various fans and numerous assorted humans you meet along the way.

The group felt the need to articulate how people feel in these uncertain times and, more importantly, give a voice to young people concerned for their future .

The various members of Sunflower Bean are all heading toward being twenty two years-old, hence the title Twentytwo in Blue’ and can actively engage with their peer group.

Here tracks like ‘Crisis time’ puts forward the idea that people can actively make a change.

So Sunflower Bean, apart from making a significant stand musically, also bring back into fashion a politics which takes us back to fifty years to 1968. It seems like yesterday now, but it’s a welcome return to politics in music and hey they got the tunes too!