KING OF THE SUGARCOATED TONGUES

I was struggling to think of a way to describe this band all morning during my commute to work. Because of the variety of sound that The Sunpilots deliver on this album, it took a few hours before I finally pinpointed the musical influences. Whether unintentional or not, my first impression of this band is a musical fusion of The Mars Volta and Incubus, but not necessarily a musical duplicate. I could easily hear Brandon Boyd's vocals if I closed my eyes, and could easily guess the song structures to be Mars Volta or At The Drive-In B-sides. The previous sentence is in no way meant to be an insult or taken in a negative connotation.

The songs in "King of the Sugarcoated Tongues" are much too complex and unique to simply be copying one or two different bands' sound, but simple enough to be pleasant and catchy. Each song is a prerequisite to the next, as the song structure is uniquely driven by the electric and bass guitars, played by Bob Spencer and Adil Baktir respectively. The first song I listened to was "The Piper's Mirror," which is also released as a music video. The video reminds me of a dystopian future, but can be interpreted to the viewer's liking. Songs like "King of the Sugarcoated Tongues" and "God Science" reminds me of old-school Incubus with its simple yet effective guitar riffs, doused in phaser and other sound effects. Other songs like "The Captain" and "Rain" make me recall the guitar styles of individuals like Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of the Mars Volta and Nick Perri of Shinedown. The groovy bass guitar is prominent in every song. I cannot help but follow the bass guitar in songs like "King of the Sugarcoated Tongues" and "Exodus". The drumbeat is the perfect complement to the effect-driven guitars and bass guitars, played by Kay Ketting.

What I love the most about this album is the vocals. Raj Siva-Rajah's range is incredible; his vocals alone are a reason to listen to this album. His voice sounds like a mix between many well known rock singers, from Brandon Boyd to Matthew Bellamy to Jeff Buckley. Vocals are highlighted in songs like "3 Minutes to Midnight" and "The Captain." His range in vocals, along with the varying styles of guitar make this album stand out among others.

A very surprising album, I definitely rate this a 4 out of 5 stars.