AV Super Sunshine
The new single from AV Super Sunshine, “Candyland”, is arguably strongest evidence yet for Sunshine standing out as one of the more individual songwriters and performers in popular music’s ranks today. He has released this latest track in a rock and radio mix that certainly bear similarities to one another but stand on their own as well as two equally attention grabbing visions of the song. It is Sunshine’s wont as a performer ton tackle his songwriting from multiple angles and the results invariably bear fruit for him and listeners alike.
This new single deals with him quitting drugs prescribed for PTSD issues and the fallout from that, but it’s never a dire listen despite the heavy subject matter. Sunshine works, as always, with a five star crew of supporting musicians who help bring his songwriting vision to vivid life.
Producer Michael Bradford has an unerring instinct for surrounding AV Super Sunshine with the right players to bring his material off. He and B3 player Andrew Higley are key to the success of the song’s radio mix; this version of the song is much less “cluttered” than its rock counterpart and the airiness of the arrangement helps contribute to the track having a light and likable bounce over its four and a half minute duration. The sonic dimensions of both mixes are ideal for modern music; Bradford’s production creates an unified sound rather focusing on one element to the exclusion of others.
Sunshine’s singing is strong enough to carry both versions on his own, but he’s joined to great effect by a trio of backing singers on the radio mix who serve to reinforce his already fine efforts. Michael Bradford wears a few musical hats on this version of the track, including low key touches of Moog, but his acoustic rhythm guitar playing in the track helps flesh out the performance with a little more heft than it might have otherwise possessed.
The rock mix jettisons the acoustic guitar in favor of two electric guitars from Sunshine and James House, but it breaks even harder with the radio mix incorporating Bradford’s bass and Brad Pemberton’s drumming into the musical attack. This isn’t rock from the bash and thud school, Sunshine’s musical vision is far too subtle for that here, but it does cut much deeper into your consciousness than anything the radio mix serves up.
It’s shorter, as well, without ever losing anything, though the bridges don’t possess the same dream-like effect in this mold that they had in the radio mix.
The differences between each version are notable but they share enough common ground to make them two sides of the same coin. AV Super Sunshine has crafted another winner with “Candyland” – it’s a personal bit of songwriting that, nevertheless, achieves universal appeal thanks to how he frames the song for listeners. There are many attributes of fine songwriting present in these mixes, but that may the one that stands out the most. “Candyland” is intelligent and entertaining without ever taking a single shortcut.
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Trace Whittaker
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
10/2019
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