AV Super Sunshine are back again and this time they have an infamous character charging the way – “Frankenstein” is a bit ridiculous and a chunk of a rocking hidden gem. Mixed together with bass lines that throb well into the night and the modest vocals of a soft-spoken, but still confident voice, “Frankenstein” has enviable musicality. By the prickling of AV Super Sunshine’s prickly thumbs – something wicked surely comes – “Frankenstein” the song and its quirky music video are something to behold.
I think what makes AV Super Sunshine so cool, besides their go-for-it attitude, is their ability to hone a nostalgic sound, without dwelling too much in the past. They also seem to reinvent the wheel with each track, even if it’s just a few steps to the right. In songs like “Baby Goodbye”, “Super Cool” and “A Wedding Song” you know it’s them. You feel that spark, and can glean right away that it’s one of their songs. With “Frankenstein” there’s no waiting, and it’s immediate. The vocals are deep, but oh so approachable and huggable. You want to hear more, you want to be in-step and in-tune with that vocal.
I loved the guitar work in “Frankenstein”. It’s like a blend of classic Journey thrown into the fire of a bluesy Joe Bonamassa. The riffs are not constant, but bursts of light and energized emotional outpours. I think if you were to just listen to the guitar fills in “Frankenstein” you might surmise that this is the shot heard ‘round the world. That it was the guitar that catapulted and drove the song. The guitar possesses such a strong foundation, and a world of power and sadness. When I think of Frankenstein from the movies, I think of this tragic figure, a gentle giant. That guitar work and sonic journey warranted that same depiction.
The drums in “Frankenstein” are just as potent. They are never too much, or too little. The drum kit finds that perfect middle-of-the-road spot that espouses power and empathy. Also keeping time is the juicy bass guitar. The thump is subtle and unexpected. I suppose listeners might be prepared for heavy-handed beats and bass lines (like you hear in “Iron Man ” from Black Sabbath), but AV Super Sunshine steals the show with melodic turns and amber-esque wavelengths. The textures and layers are intricate, but not too heady. This is a perfect pop rock track.
The “Frankenstein” music video is something to fixate on – albeit the miniature toy cars, the spinning vinyl or the lead singer’s flashback Frankenstein Halloween mask, the viewer is transported to a live-performance scene. Funny, I felt like the lights and colors were almost more Christmas than Halloween vibe-like, the video seems to capture the eclecticism of the band and the tragedy of one this horror hero. Frankenstein will never look the same to me – armed with a guitar and singing in a band. It’s hard to imagine this movie screen monster even being in black and white film. AV Super Sunshine splatters Frankenstein into a small room filled with color and that unmistakable backbeat.
Levi Colston