Son of the Sun

The Happy Loss (I Blame Yoko)

By Jobana Soto
Published: July 7th, 2010 | 7:00am

With the takeover of psychedelic rock bands like MGMT, it’s easy to get lumped in with mainstream acts, but The Happy Loss is a great start for Buffalo, New York, group Son of the Sun. Vocalist Zak Ward spills his guts in “Tell Me,” a heartbreaking letter to a former love, singing “Tell me that you’ll never leave me / Tell me that you’ll always need me / Tell me that you’ll never let me go / First you said you’d die for me / But all you did was lie to me.” While the lyrics may read like a grown man whining, the wailing guitars and bass rhythm transforms the piece into a great contemporary blues song. “How Can It Be?” is similar to Mazzy Star’s hit “Fade Into You,” but the chorus “Where are you? / Where have you been? / Where are you going? / Are you leaving with him?” has its own sound that will have you humming it throughout the day. Heartbreak is a recurring theme on the album, but Son of the Sun mixes in enough psychedelic rock like “Stay the Same” and “Good Ole Days” that prove they’re more than just lovesick rock stars.

What the album fails to deliver is in originality from the blues rock we’re already so familiar with thanks to the Black Keys. Though tracks like “Leopard Print” and “The Franklin” are OK, they’re also easily forgettable. However, if Son of the Sun can stay away from the riffs that have become common in today’s indie rock scene, we can expect something even better next time around.

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