Clear Sun – Bright

Music Reviews
Jer@SBS
July 11, 2023
0

Clear Sun – Bright – EP Review

Well now…what do we have here…?

“I Finally Saw A Flying Squirrel,” you say! To which I’d ask, exactly how long had you been trying for? Everybody’s got goals in life I tell ya. While I don’t know that seeing a flying squirrel is on my bucket-list, I also don’t know that it’s not…I’m kinda leaning towards where Clear Sun is coming from here, and feel like I might just start counting the days until I do see one from here. And maybe, just maybe, by the time that I do eventually see one of them cute critters glidin’ around, I’ll be as inspired as Clear Sun was to pull out my music machines and write a song about it. Stranger things have happened, it’s possible. Anyhow. This first track is pretty solid…the main synth melodies in behind all the surface sounds and background additions we hear are genuinely effectively. I’m probably tuning in here for the production and clarity you’ll find in Clear Sun…sure a whole bunch of this sounds like we’re shooting Space Invaders from an old 80s video game at times, but the crystal clarity and depth you’ll find in the mix really is worth checking out. There’s also like, a crucial synth-keys or synth-piano melody that’s complementary to the main synth melody underneath, and that also works extremely well. Like we’d experienced in another one of Jeffrey Hull’s Electro-based projects last year called Mad Hugs, we’re well aware that after 20+ years in the game, he’s not here to make standard audio fare anymore, and I obviously dig that as a supporter of all-things-strange. “I Finally Saw A Flying Squirrel” is ultimately still the kind of cut that is undoubtedly on the fringe side of the mainstream on the best of days, and the kind of music that is still a tough sell to the masses when it comes to the overall style…however…I think if you’re daring enough to come outta your shell just a teeny tiny bit, you’ll honestly find a lot to love about a song like this opener to the Bright EP. For as experimental as most people would probably label it to be, you have to also acknowledge the level of professionalism and control at work too, in addition to the remarkable level of soul-soothing sound in the melody that’s every bit as enticing as all the extraneous elements.

“I See Faces In Everything,” you say! Perhaps that’s why two tracks later on in this lineup mention his eyes being closed…but we’ll get to that. I think a couple things can be true about a track like this one. First and foremost, the mix on this record remains spectacularly intact, and I think there’s an argument to be made that this second cut is even more adventurous than the first in terms of its uniqueness. That being said, there’s almost always a trade-off that occurs between uniqueness and accessibility when it comes to how music gets heard by the people out there. Increase the uniqueness and artistic values, and chances are you’ll see an immediate decline in accessibility to match…that’s just the nature of the game and something artists & bands have consistently had to live with since the beginning of time. Even I’d readily admit, there’s probably more for me to latch onto personally in a track like “I Finally Saw A Flying Squirrel,” or at least more tangible reasons for us all to return to it. “I See Faces In Everything,” has a couple of inherent disadvantages to it when it comes to the masses out there listening, most of which revolve around the high-end frequencies in the mix, or how this song seems to care a bit less about keeping the audience with Clear Sun from point-A to point-B. I’m a firm believer that real art isn’t necessarily made with the consumers in mind at all…sometimes you just gotta go with where your instincts take you, or where the music does in an instance like this. Sometimes it’s not until afterwards that we realize how far we’ve drifted away from what the people out there will accept, and sometimes that still doesn’t matter – all of these things can be true. “I See Faces In Everything” has some stellar things about it if you ask me…personally, I really like that there’s about three or four layers that are firing at all times, and that they’re all essentially doing something way different, yet still able to convince our ears that they cohesively belong together in this one experience. Most other artists would have taken any single one of these ideas and run with it on their own, made a song out of it, and called it a day – but not Jeff. Nope! Instead, he’s innovatively trying to combine a whole lot of things at once, presumably because he likes a whole lotta sound, and if you’re of the same mindset, you’ll love how this guy approaches the art of making music. For you normies out there, you squares & such…sure, it’ll be harder to find your way into a track like “I See Faces In Everything,” but hopefully “I Finally Saw A Flying Squirrel” was able to open your mind just enough to get you in a position to be able to accept this second cut. What’s outright practically CRUEL of Clear Sun…that’s right, I SAID IT, I WENT THERE…is that the final like, three seconds or so of “I See Faces In Everything” reveals an insane degree of accessibility and endearing sound that he didn’t even choose to use throughout the rest of the journey to get there. That, dear readers, dear friends…is a dangling of the carrot that this dude practically cannot abide – I want a whole lot more of what I hear at the very end of this second cut & Jeff ain’t gonna give it to me. It’s tiny moments like that though, that tell ya he could have played things so much more straight-ahead if he wanted…like I was saying, twenty-plus years in, you look to create new exciting challenges instead.

“Awakened By Dawn,” you say! Alright…now I’m just trying too hard to be cute about how I write this review…I’ll knock it off. Look…the last thing you’re going to find me calling what Jeffrey creates as Clear Sun or Mad Hugs is normal – but I’ll fully admit that “Awakened By Dawn” actually got closer to that definition than most of the tunes I’ve heard from this guy to-date. Don’t get all uppity y’all…I’m not saying he’s damaged his street cred as an Electro innovator here…there is still plenty of wonderfully strange elements in the mix that comprise a track like “Awakened By Dawn,” but you’ll hear what I mean in terms of how the song itself moves on a structural level. It feels more familiar in that regard, even though I’d challenge any of ya to find something completely similar, fully knowing you’d fail. In all honesty, I think Clear Sun gives you a lot to hang onto in a track like this one…the synth piano for one, is probably gonna be the main draw for most people on a melodic level…the intensity of the beats firing at ya and how that contrasts with how slowly the rest of the song moves has a real mesmerizing quality to it too…and if you’re anything like me, it’s that melted-tape sound at the core of this song that is the most alluring aspect by far. I mean…that’s if we’re breaking things down to its individual elements of course…ultimately, I’d tell ya that this is an extremely well-balanced track where every piece & part you’ll hear truly needs the others surrounding it to create the impact that they all do as we listen. To me, that pitch-shifting melody is perfection…it’s cinematic and vivid, like if you were to be sitting in a movie theater back in the day, and the end credits were rolling, and the film caught on fire, you’d find a similar sound. I know that seems like a strange comparison, but believe me, I mean it as a compliment. There’s a high degree of accessibility in “Awakened By Dawn” though, don’t get it twisted and don’t get me wrong…Clear Sun adds in a little something for everyone into this track, and comes out with a solid victory in my opinion. Always tough to identify a single in a record like this one, but I’d be taking a good look at “Awakened By Dawn” as the track to potentially put out there with a video & bring the people in.

Jeff digs doin’ what he does in layers, quite often trying to discover some strange audible compromise in the contrast he infuses something light and something dark in the music he’s making. Case in-point, “Dark Mind (Eyes Closed)” will likely be judged more on the lighter sounds on the surface than it will be by what’s happening underneath the sunny disposition of this song. Take a close listen, because for real, Clear Sun has got this whole vibe dialed into the right place…so far as I can recall, and including what I’m hearing here, I’d say this is a track that really reveals a lot of the craft in the man’s production. Somewhere around…the forty-five-ish second mark, you’ll hear the background of “Dark Mind (Eyes Closed)” begin to shift into murkier terrain, and it’s done insightfully well…kind of like close up audio magic in a way, you know what I mean? Everything’s right there in front of you, but you might miss it if you’re not paying close attention. All-in-all, this cut’s a winner in multiple ways…the cleverness of the idea, the stellar production & separation you’ll find between the layers of ideas & different sounds being used…the melody of the main synth hook, and the other metric ton of hooks that come along with it…there’s a whole lot of love really. I also think it’s oddly accessible too. Even though there is a high degree of art at work here, and some really smart ideas in the contrast between its dreamy vibe and more mysterious undertones…call me crazy, but I think it’s one of those tunes that you can either dig on for the smooth melodies & hooks on the surface, or dig deeper into in order to appreciate the craft on display. “Dark Mind (Eyes Closed)” is in that rare category, where unique and addictive are combined.

Hitting that sweet spot of transition around the forty-five second mark again on the following cut, “Dream Mind (Eyes Closed)” finds its moneymaker hook and really latches onto it confidently. Rightly so, it’s extraordinarily effective, and for the Electro fans out there, it’s the kind of low-key moment you’ll seriously appreciate. It’s like infusing Cinematic Jazz into the mix…and I mean…c’mon y’all…that is an outright IRRESISTIBLE hook, is it not? Look…the reality is, where Clear Sun had about four or five major hooks in the track just prior, “Dream Mind (Eyes Closed)” really opts to rely on one to make the magic happen – and of course, the perils of going with one idea as opposed to spreading the field out a bit more, is that if something misses, the whole ship is going down. On the Bright-side of the scenario, that is NOT something that Clear Sun is going to have to fear…the main hook in this song speaks on a universal level without a doubt. What’s rad about it, is that it’s got that genuinely mesmerizing effect on ya…I know, I know…mesmerizing can be a tired term sometimes, but lemme explain. When something is truly mesmerizing, it sounds like what you’ll hear on “Dream Mind (Eyes Closed)” – hear me out. Are you listening to the way that, when you get fixated on the early piano hook, or the hook that starts around forty-two seconds in, or what’s happening in the background…good gravyboat lighthouse y’all, it’s like you’re hearing two dimensions merge into one…on two completely different wavelengths than the rest of the track, with the electro beats speeding along at a generously rapid pace. That’s the effect right there in action though…you’d hardly even think to call this a ‘fast’ song, because the slowed-down vibes keep the entire track feeling like it’s perfectly faded…this cut’s captivating, and yes – mesmerizing. What I like best in finding a song like this though, is that I can simply mention ‘the hook’ and when you listen to this for yourself, you’ll know exactly what it is. Sounds easy I know, but consider that Clear Sun always seems to work in a few; I think “Dream Mind (Eyes Closed)” is heavily reliant on the main one, yes – but make no mistake, there are many others you’ll find along the way from the electro beats to the soundscapes blowing from one side to the other like the wind is coming through your speakers – Clear Sun has got something significantly special here, and notches another solid victory for this EP.

Dude’s gifted when it comes right down to it. Listen to how “Bright Light” works, how it flows…how you’ll notice yourself listening to something upfront in your speakers and then catch something you think you love even more in the background, or vice versa, and/or multiple times throughout its length – Clear Sun is making quality material, and I hope you’re all enjoying it as much as I have been. I reckon you could call this final track the most gentle or delicate when it comes to its demeanor and sound – but once again, no less busy than you’d expect to find this artist being in how everything is mixed together. Another super strong melodic hook at its core on the piano, and a series of beautiful synth string sounds surrounding it, often accompanied by ambient nature in the mix, you know, birds all chirpin’ & shit – the kind of vibe that’ll take ya right outta your office cubicle & put you in the middle of somewhere blissful underneath the open sky instead…and all you gotta do is close your eyes and open your mind. Awwww! For real…”Bright Light” is another example of how Clear Sun is getting it right by really tapping into a smart combination of layered sounds that afford the kind of clarity that allows us to absorb & appreciate it all. There’s definitely an argument to be made that Bright closes on its most universally accessible track as well…and you know…that certainly ain’t a bad way to go out, am I right? I might be more partial to the creativity & craft of the two tracks prior, but that by no means doesn’t suggest there’s not enough art to be found in “Bright Light” – lemme be clear, there’s plenty. There’s a noticeable difference between the vibes each cut has and what’s looking to be achieved in each of these songs throughout the record, and you get a great dose of Clear Sun’s organic digital sincerity in its most accessible form at the end of Bright. I’m all for accessibility, of course…every bit as much as I am for creativity, and it felt like this EP was a perfect match to how I’d want one or the other, at all times. Each of these tracks gives you a little of one and a bit more of the other, in addition to the courage to really try new things if you’re listening closely. I mean…I hope these other sounds I’ve been hearing aren’t just in my head. I’m pretty sure I’ve been catching the layered genius that Jeff’s been creating throughout this set-list, and I truly hope the people out there do too. It feels like there’s real consideration in a track like “Bright Light” that occurs on both sides of the speakers. As in, Clear Sun took a measured approach in how to go about adding in each element we hear in “Bright Light,” and as a result of his careful choices as to where things go & how they sound, we end up in a really contemplative state as listeners, fully engaged with it. I felt like it was an insightful ending to what’s been a sensationally well-designed experience in sound from beginning to end – each track on Bright gives you a different glimpse into the craft and creativity of Clear Sun, and offers you a moment in time you’ll likely never forget, and appreciate on several levels.

Find more music by Clear Sun at Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/bright-ep/1668542496