Ecstatic Sunshine - "Way"

Ecstatic Sunshine - "Herrons" (Cardboard 2008)

Ecstatic Sunshine - Way / Cardboard

It's interesting how much difference a year-and-a-half of exposure can make for a burgeoning music scene. I have spent very little time paying attention to the Baltimore lofts collective of noisemakers that have taken the indie world by storm in the last couple of years, but they have somehow worked their way into my immediate knowledge anyhow thanks to the rampant press coverage and onslaught of interesting albums. In September of 2006, when Ecstatic Sunshine's debut album, Freckle Wars, arrived in my office, I can just about guarantee you that most of the bands listed in the gratitude section of the liner notes were completely unknown to me. Now though, the list reads like a whose who of the musically hip from Baltimore: Dan Deacon, Wzt Hearts, Video Hippos, The Deathset, Lexie Mountain, Tall Grass, and probably a few others that are still unbeknownst to my inattentive eyes. It's pretty damn impressive in my opinion and perhaps a bit telling of how socially interactive/leech-like the indie world is currently (or perhaps just the press is to blame… though the line between fans and the press has been muddled completely with the blogs taking over and… there is not nearly enough space for this tangent). Either way, my introduction to the scene via Ecstatic Sunshine's amateurish guitar toils was understandably skeptical, but now a year-and-a-half later, my skepticism may finally be resolved and by the very same band.

While Freckle Wars may have been slightly charming thanks to its minimalist guitar tomfoolery, it was not in all honesty a very good album. The dueling electric guitar fuck-arounds were just that, and maybe there are some respectable primitive characteristics buried in the haphazard songwriting, but for the most part, it fell pretty damn short of the small hype burst that surrounded the band. Members Matthew Papich and Dustin Wong at least agreed with this sentiment to some degree as their sound began changing gears very soon after their debut's release. Including adding Kieran Gillen to the fold on electronics, 2007 saw the release of the vinyl only Living EP. In their own words, “it’s like a Glenn Branca / Black Flag collaboration.” I was intrigued. You should be intrigued. It’s not a far off statement.

From the opening moments of their sophomore album, Way, the music is decisively more promising than anything heard on their debut. “B” embarks with a faintly Eastern-tinged guitar riff that is either being simultaneously played by both guitarists slightly out of time or looped and shifted subtly out of phase. The track proceeds for thirteen minutes in this Reichian or Rileyian manner: parts shift and layer back on each other, dynamics are raised and lowered, pulsing electronic elements are introduced and evaporated into the mix, and new guitar patterns keep the song continuously evolving. This is a far cry from Freckle Wars. A far, highly matured cry. Whoever introduced these kids to 20th century classical, thanks.

The second of the three tracks – “Herrons” – introduces the Branca comparison. Gillen lays down an amoeba of harmonic synth noise, which is closely followed by the amplification of Papich and Wong’s guitars to a level of volume that crunches rather than resounds. The crackling tonal wall certainly pays dues to Branca’s guitar symphonies and Chatham’s post-minimalism experiments, but surprisingly stands up on its own.

Rounding out the half-hour of music is “Perrier,” a shimmering ten minutes of chiming guitar melodies and electronic twinkles. A pulsing guitar rhythm is pulled apart into a double helix of bright tones, each line circling the central loop and weaving a sparkling tapestry of a song. As the track progresses, momentary bass lines and wind tunnel like effects keep away any sense of redundancy, and climactic electric guitar riffs remind the listener that while this is heavily influenced by the modern experimental composers of the 60s and 70s, it also has post-rock still clearly visible in the rearview mirror.

Way is an excellent statement of maturity from Ecstatic Sunshine, and perhaps from the Baltimore scene in general. They are wholly under the spotlight at this point, so now it’s either time to present themselves as true innovators and clever musicians deserving of the attention or be prepared for an ousting by the next hip geographical movement. To Ecstatic Sunshine’s credit, they are doing their part. Now let’s see who follows suit.