Bridging the gap between the infamous sixties and the contemporary studios that make up our current music realm, WHISTLEWIT unites a multitude of featured musicians, and promises the organic embrace of timeless, thoughtful songwriting.
From the lyrical creative and producer who brought us Robot Raven, WHISTLEWIT is the multi-faceted new ID, delivering memories of what many considered a simpler, happier time, through the Sunflower ’69 album.
The artwork and opening track Run To The Rainbow set the bar well for the escapism, colour and contemplation that will follow. Already the kick drum sounds sublime, that power-ballad energy nostalgically fusing with the crisp, contemporary leading vocal – a fine testament to the collaborative nature of this album. These are songs destined to represent ’69, performed by artists who wouldn’t be born until some decades later.
We’re off to a strong start, brilliant production allowing the delicacy and pop-rock organics of the whole song to really reach out. The verse melody is simple, the lyrics poetic and loaded with enchanting imagery, while the hook rises up accordingly for a hugely uplifting moment that aptly returns to the title sentiment.
Eclecticism is not only a strength but a driving factor of Sunflower ’69. Consider the instant shift to acoustic ukulele and folk-pop brightness for Supernaturally High. The song feels familiar, summer-ready and soulful, exotic, yet also lyrically revealing and gripping in its honesty and again poetic contemplation.
“You are my addiction,
my dangerous desire.
You are my prescription
to get closer to the fire.”
Sitar-style fragments of the sixties later pour through for the opening moments of Lavender Love’In, the topic reinforcing that sense of time-travel for an immersive, near-euphoric listen, with a superb hook. A personal highlight.
Other favourites include the simplicity of a rise and fall, mainstream-ready Someone, the subsequent rock and roll swagger of an explosive Our Turn, and the stylish soul-rock guitar-work of an addictively enjoyable Using You.
“I want to be that someone
with sunshine in my soul.”
The fingerstyle pace and presence of Opposites Attract also reaches straight for the heart, and It Don’t Work That Way proves a fiercely powerful and heart-breaking anthem afterwards.
The guitar work is actually faultless throughout this project, a pleasure to escape amidst and captured in a genuinely live-style, authentic fashion. That leading voice, too, is perfectly-placed within the mix, so whether the moment is gentle and reflective, or more bold and unignorable, the quality remains on point.
Towards the finish, we get a dash of blues rock in Frets and Regrets, and the album’s bonus track Joni (feat. Liz’n Taylor) is beautifully upfront in its ode to Joni Mitchell; the legendary songbird pioneer of that much-loved era.
While the bulk of the album was written by Edmond Bruneau and Michele Zara, Joni welcomes the talents of songwriters Edmond Bruneau, Jürgen Geppert and Petra Stief, to close things on a longer-form, rightfully dedicative wave of energy. Sunflower 69 is a gift to the modern listener, blending aspects of originality with those known to uphold reminiscent moments from the year that shaped so much during that period’s musical revolution.
Download or stream Sunflower ’69 here.
