SPLENDID E-ZINE REVIEW

Years after his self-imposed withdrawal from society, rumors surfaced around the J.D. Salinger camp that the much-loved author of Catcher in the Rye was in fact releasing literature under the name Thomas Pynchon. While these claims proved false (the real Pynchon eventually emerged from his seclusion to deny them), I'd like to offer my own claim of past greatness born anew: Damien Youth is Syd Barrett, and Syd Barrett is Damien Youth. OK, so maybe acid got the better of Barrett's musical ambitions, but Damien Youth captures Barrett's lyrical complexities while drenching the album in crisp psychedelic overtones reminiscent of the former Pink Floyd leader's glory days. Imagine Julian Cope covering Leonard Cohen, while the Olivia Tremor Control piece together eccentric sound-clips for their new album in the apartment next door. From upbeat and confident numbers like "Traveling" to the REVOLVER-era Beatles-inspired "Satellites at Seven", Sunfield proves itself the most enjoyable psych album I've reviewed this year. -- jw