Search - Elefant :: Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid

Give Me A Break

W. French | Carnation, WA USA | 02/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Strokes". "Interpol". Okay, there, now I'm done with that part of my review. Elefant has released quite an enjoyable record in "Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid". Yes, there are the inevitable comparisons to their aforementioned contemporaries, and of course the ties to those vital 80's influences. The Strokes and Interpol are a couple of my favorite rock bands right now because they reference what I liked about a good portion of 80s rock, and somehow manage to distill it into something fresh. Same goes for Elefant. So all you indie rock purists out there, please stop whining and be thankful that this stuff is actually somewhat popular. Each of these bands has something unique to offer, so I'll just as soon dispense with the whole "Interpol did it first and best, the Strokes are boring/finished, and Elefant is just a poor copy of the others". Please. It's all good, and you know you like it or else you wouldn't have bought it. Besides, would you rather listen to Puddle of Mudd? Liked them the first time around when they were called Nirvana. How about a little Limp Bizkit? Yeah, I didn't think so. Music will move on, and I happen to like this particular direction. If you want something more experimental, don't look at bands like this because it's pop music, and it was designed to be played on the radio. Start your own band or get a copy of Cakewalk and record some weird music on your own PC. Upload it to the internet. Boom, you're a star."

"Sunlight" shines

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 05/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Who can resist being told, "Get up and dance around the room, my eyes are on you"? That's the endearing note that New York's Elefant kicks off on, in their full-length debut "Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid," where mildly poppy garage-rock are given a smoother, more colorful edge.The poppy, catchy "Make Up" kicks off the album, followed by some solid rock-pop like "Now That I Miss Her," the charming "Love," and the sputteringly spacey "Static on Channel 4." The highest point may be the brilliantly dark and grim "Sunlight Makes Me Feel Paranoid," with its claustrophobic lyrics and bleak tone.Don't expect anything overwhelming in "Sunlight," but it's undeniable that their stuff is enormous fun. It brims over with exuberance, especially in the tunes that break from the typical rock mold. The tone? Well, that these guys love girls and it's great being around them -- simple, but rather sweet in a first-crush kind of way.Elefant avoids the pitfalls of boring music by taking basic guitar-and-drums and spicing them up with bursts of sputtering bass, faint shimmers of keyboard, an ear-piercing riff in "Bokkie," and a handful of other flourishes that keep things interesting. It works -- while the music is not overly complex, it does feel layered and polished, without losing the garage-rocker edge.Lead singer Diego Garcia may be from Argentina originally, but he sounds a bit like a Britpop singer at times; he has a nice, occasionally excellent voice that rolls enthusiastically over the songs like he means every word. The songwriting is a mixed bag: "Now That I Miss Her" is simplistic and a bit boring ("And without her, it all feels the same/And without her, you got no one else to blame"), but "Bokkie" is outstanding with lines like "The sunlight's making me feel paranoid/I look outside and see the world at war."Elefant's "Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid" is what happens when you mash together the best of of NY-pop and tinges of garage rock. The result: An entertaining, intermittently bright burst of "sunlight.""

Fungus

Keith Woods | Redford, MI United States | 08/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd has grown on me like a fungus, but a good one like mushrooms or something. When I first found out about this band Elefant I was kind ticked off because my band's name is Elefant Grass so I didn't want to listen to it...that really doesn't help you though so anyway I finally did and thought it was ok, that was 2 months ago. Then I gave it another try a about a week ago and it hasn't left my cd player. Yeah there are hints of the Strokes and Interpol but these guys really do sound like their own band. There is an 80's britpop feel to some of it that I really like. It's catchy as as hell and the melodies of some of the songs are almost addicting and I can't stop listening to it. Anyway I'm certainly glad I didn't pass on this."