The Sunshine Fix
"Age of the Sun"
(Emperor Norton)

While the other members of the arty Athens group Olivia Tremor Control have been keeping busy with their new supergroup The Circulatory System, OTC co-founder Bill Doss has been keeping busy as well. The fruit of his labor has been the devlopment of a side project he began on the last Olivia Tour called "The Sunshine Fix" into a full-time, touring unit.

While Doss explored country and even funk-like territory on the 7" and EP that surfaced during the past few years, the latest album find him returning to the sound that made he and Will Hart darlings of the Elephant 6 triumvirate. And, of course, everyone's favorite "psychedelic subject matter", the sun, is the focus.

The title track starts, stops, and crashes with harmonious glee, with an ending that adds a bit of a new age flavor to the "Notorious Wilson Brothers" formula that encapulates Doss's songwriting. "Mr. Summer Day" and "Sail Beyond the Sunrise" are two songs that would not be out of place on the first Olivia record (in fact, Doss first debuted these songs with the Olivia Tremor Control during their tour in 1999). They rely heavily on Doss's unique vocal delivery and sense of popcraft.

"The Sunshine Fix" is as interesting for what it doesn't provide us with for what it does. As with the Cirulatory System's great debut, Doss has chosen to focus on writing pop songs and ignore the "noise collages" which often made Olivia Tremor Control records tedious and challenging listens while doing little to enhance the album. As Will Hart and Doss delve deeper into the realms of pop songwriting and further away from "tape loop experiments gone awry", it will be interesting to see what they can come up with.

-Karthik