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You shouldn't judge an album by its sleeve, but sometimes the way a band chooses to present itself can give some clues about its sound. Sunblind is a band that puts a lot of effort into its presentation -- their demo, Bend Gold made effective use of tracing paper, gold ink and fine line drawings to create an impact and now the use of silver, next to a bleak photo of the incoming sea tide gives the listener a hint about the music within. That music is a brooding brand of female-fronted rock. Amber Regan (vocals/guitar) has a relatively deep, but clear voice and is backed by the expansive guitars of Sam Fisher resulting in a sound which sounds as though it has been influenced by a mixture of artists from Radiohead to the Sundays to the lusher end of the post-rock scene. The final track in particular contains some spine-tingling chorused guitar work. The lyrics are from the pen of bassist Darren Harvey Regan and are natural kin to the music with their melancholy tone. Regan pulls in imagery from a number of sources, including the story of Christ's crucifixion on "Too Great," to produce moody yet accessible emotional stories. The production could be a little sharper in places, but for an independent release this is an impressive and engaging release. They've already won some awards in their locality, and with time to develop and mature their sound, Sunblind's future will be worth following. James Stewart 1/15/2000
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