Luna Kafé e-zine - Radical Face: Sunn

Luna Kafé record review

Radical Face
Sunn
Bear Machine Records

After finishing his three album cycle with songs based around a fictional family, spanning from the 1800s to present times, The Family Tree (The Roots in 2011, The Branches in 2013, and this year's The Leaves - plus the Family 'offspring' record The Bastards, 2015), Ben Cooper is ready for some new moves. Yet, he spins around some similar musical landscapes as he has been doing for some years. Relax. Breathe.

Florida-based Radical Face (a.k.a. Ben Cooper) has also been one-half of the duo Electric President (I do hope they will reappear one day). Anyway, Cooper's new 'project' is called sunnmooneclipse, which is an EP holding three songs, over three phases? Part one is called "Sunn", and this is the taster from the EP to come. To quote Cooper he states 'This is the first non-family-tree recording I've done, this is the first song I've recorded since wrapping up the project. To go from eight years of the same material to total freedom was pretty odd. I had no restrictions on how I produced it, or what I would talk about. I found myself just writing about where I'm at now, in my actual life, and not through characters or disguises.'

I can imagine it must been a strange feeling to be out of something you've been deep into for years. Even though this still sounds like Radical Face, there might be a slight change in style and attitude. Here's more of the slow, dazed beats he's touched at times. According to Cooper he's '...producing the tracks entirely based on sounds that I like right now - drum samples from old records, pianos played with old Mellotron master tapes, tracking vocals with almost-broken microphones.' Yes, "Sunn" is a laidback piano and swaying samples, with Cooper's familiar voice over a chilled rhythm beat. This is still orchestral, catchy and melodic pop music. Pleasant, as always with the music of Radical Face. Cooper claims that sunnmooneclipse is 'an EP where none of the songs sound very similar.' Which sounds interesting. How and what will "Eclipse" and "Moon" sound like? I guess we have to wait till the new year comes to get the answers, to see the results. On creating quite different songs/sounds, Cooper has said this '...felt both terribly freeing and a bit nervewracking. I welcome both things. I'm having fun in a way that I haven't in a long time.' Let's go have some fun as well. Let's enjoy the warmth of the "Sunn".

You may also want to check out our Radical Face articles/reviews: Ghost, Parkteatret, Oslo, Norway, 17 November 2015, The Family Tree: The Bastards, The Family Tree: The Branches, The Family Tree: The Leaves, The Family Tree: The Roots.