The Sunshine Fix

Bill Doss always represented the poppier side of his old group, the Olivia Tremor Control, but none of that band's work would prepare fans for the glorious rush of pop songcraft on Age of the Sun, the first album by Doss' post-OTC band, the Sunshine Fix. But while even that album bore a bit of the Olivia Tremor Control's stamp, especially in the extended, experimental, and not very memorable "Le Roi-Soleil" that ended the disc, Green Imagination keeps things tight, focused, and full of hooks that stick with you long after the album's over. The band wears its psychedelic, British Invasion, and power pop influences on its sleeve, but with enough conviction and singleness of purpose that they sound fresh even when they're channeling Big Star ("Statues and Glue"), Revolver-era Beatles ("Papers Fall"), or 13th Floor Elevators ("Afterglow"). Doss hasn't abandoned quirkiness entirely -- check out the goofy falsettos on "Extraordinary/Ordinary" and robotic backing vocals on "Sunday Afternoon" -- but it all holds together in a way the Olivia Tremor Control often didn't. In other words, he's figured out how and when to use a gimmick to further the song, rather than for its own sake, which makes for a seamless and infectious listen from start to finish. ~ Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen, All Music Guide