The first take on AV Super Sunshine’s new single “Smile” brings common instruments like guitar together with a modern sound born from an assortment of electronic instruments such as keyboards, synths, and computerized percussion. Many musicians and songwriters struggle to make such marriages work without sounding disjointed or unappealing, but AV Super Sunshine is well versed in making such seemingly disparate pairings work to his advantage. The guitar work, in particular, gives the track an almost shocking poetic note without ever overshadowing the other important components making this song work so well for listeners. Sunshine’s discography is rife with stirring examples of his musical imagination and the original version of this song included in the release is a fine example of his capacity for surprising the listener.
YOU TUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYNNhBXtlYCPGuDCVObq8IQ
The vocal for this version has its merits as well. The smoky quality in his voice is ideal for giving the track a welcome feeling of theatricality that never sounds cheap or heavy handed. He writes the lyrics from a first person perspective and veers close to love song territory, a point that his deeply felt phrasing and careful enunciation highlights for listeners. The backing vocals throughout the song double down on this, but they are never omnipresent; AV Super Sunshine’s singing is enough to carry the song on its own and their presence merely reinforces the exceptional qualities the song already possesses.
DEEZER: https://www.deezer.com/us/track/136593272?autoplay=true
The house remix of the track goes all in with the electronic backing. AV Super Sunshine and producer Michael Bradford show off their limitless imagination for utilizing such a sonic texture and treat listeners to a coherent and wildly creative array of sounds over nearly six minutes. The percussion is much stronger in this version of the track and practically dares listeners to remain still, but his vocal is equally involving as Bradford rearranges AV Super Sunshine’s singing to serve, in some ways, as additional percussion for the performance. It’s an invigorating listening experience from beginning to end.
The video AV Super Sunshine has attached to the song complements it quite well. The remote southwestern setting, the use of mannequins, his partner Philomena’s silent charm and warm smiles, his superb editing and direction all come together to make this a first rate companion piece to the song. AV Super Sunshine understands what makes a video work well with a song, there are many different things of course, but he grasps some of the genre’s tried and true elements to produce a five star piece of visual work that anyone who enjoys the track will appreciate.
It’s another notable peak in an upward trajectory AV Super Sunshine has been on for almost five years. He has surveyed the lay of the land in this new era for musicians and songwriters alike and found a path to seeing his work recognized and cheered on by growing legions of admirers. “Smile” doesn’t set out to remake how we experience music and has some obvious influences, but AV Super Sunshine has taken those influences and filtered them through his consciousness into something he can rightly claim is uniquely his own.
Levi Colston