When I first heard this dude a few years back,i was pretty skeptical of what i might find in this stuff,considering his semi-clever/goofy moniker and album titles.But alas,you cannot judge a book...yea.After a handful of releases on various indie tape labels etc,Sun Araw(Cameron Stallones)has totally perfected his craft.The songs on "On Patrol" are solid as ever,and more cohesive and dare i say "accessible" than previous efforts.And there are alot of them.He is a long time collaborator and ex-member of LA's Pocahaunted,and current guitar man for Long Beach psych outfit -Magic Lantern.Both are worth looking into for sure.Pocahaunted's new LP "Make It Real" is amazing.A great new direction for them.
Right off the bat On Patrol floats us into heady dub and psych territories that you might expect from him.Noodling reverb-soaked guitars,thick dubbed out bass lines,echoed voices and spacey synth washes...it's all here.But something is different.What is this awesome clarity?Production value?These are not-so-familiar terms with Sun Araw,being known (and adored) for his cavernous recording style and low low fidelity sound.But this new found clarity works wonders for these songs,and still retains a nice lo-fi,bass heavy feel,it's just more up front and present here.Utilizing a ton of instruments that includes,but is not limited to guitar,bass,congas,bells,woodwind,analog synth,drum machines,samples and voice effects,this album is layered nicely and has a very full sound.Something that I think as missing from earlier recordings.Mostly instrumental,with only a few vocal parts throughout the record,the bouncy dub jams make this a pleasant and interesting listen.I find new things in this with every play.Killer artwork to boot.WEED.
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