What? Prior to Raleigh, NC-based outfit Annuals‘ blaze upon the blogosphere with their kitchen-bangery polyrhythmics and Broken Social Scene-esque six-piece crescendos, guitarist Kenny Florence held the songwriter reins with a project called Sedona, in which he explored his penchant for jazz and ’70s prog. With a name change to Sunfold, and the entire Annuals lineup switching ranks to support him, Florence swaps the band’s trademark brooding, know-no-boundary explosions for controlled pop bursts. Sunfold’s first offering, the Wet Zoo EP, dropped in April, and the band’s debut full-length, Toy Tugboats, will arrive July 22 via their own Terpsikhore Records.
Who? With Sunfold, Annuals frontman Adam Baker takes a backseat, sticking to percussion and programming duties, while guitarist Kenny Florence commandeers main vocals, and all the oddities that make the record — lap steel, cello, hammered dulcimer, organ, and pedal steel. And the remaining Annuals members stick to what they know best, with Mike Robinson on bass, Zack Oden on guitar, Anna Spence on keys, and Donzel Radford on drums.
Fun Fact: Florence acts as the in-house engineer for Annuals’ record label, Terpsikhore, and worked behind the knobs on Toy Tugboats. What’s more is that Florence is also co-authoring a music theory textbook.
Now Hear This: “Sara The American Winter” (DOWNLOAD MP3)
Tags: Sunfold