I have to admit that I did pleasantly enjoy the split album in between Wigrid and Sunshine & Lollipops, called Split The Indifference / Geteilte Gleichgültigkeit. In case you’re interested, you can find the review on this label’s update of December 2nd 2014. That co-operative release saw its birth via Bleeding Heart Nihilist Productions, and this label did recently release Empty (Always Look On The Dull Side) by the crazy duo of Sunshine & Lollipops, being Alex Ithymia (who provides ‘Stringulation & Fornicaterwaul’) and Veenus Christ (‘Schlachtzeug & Capoeira’). Indeed, don’t take it all too seriously! The duo recorded this new material (which was mainly written by Alex) at the Welkin Throb studio during Spring and Summer 2015, and everything was mix and mastered in Berlin by Sebastian Braunreuther (MixBerlin).
With their Absurdist Anarcho Black Metal, Sunshine & Lollipops want to ‘propagate the paradox of anarchy as a way to overcome society, and nihilism as a way to overcome individualism’. Damn yeah, there is a whole philosophy going on! Just check out the lyrics, for instance (mainly in English, with a Latin excerpt and some German stuff), focusing on the most pathetic existence on Earth: the human life, and humanity’s brainlessness, with our kind being so ignorant that we don’t see that society dictates our daily raison d’être – it makes me emotional, philosophical, mentally ill, and I cannot but agree, haha…
Anyway, Empty (Always Look On The Dull Side) (aka ëmptÿ (alẅaÿṣ löök ön thë dụll ṣide)) sounds as a quite ‘traditional’ album, actually. But then again, these guys aren’t that ‘common’ at all, and a reason is their subtly high-technically played performance, or the Thrash / Punk-injected groove that permanently injects the whole experience. They are quite unique in final result, for being able to compose (and perform) quite a coherent amalgam of tempos, styles, moods and spheres, and still being able to maintain a certain f*cked-up attitude; or better: a f*ck-you attitude. A trademark on the former release was the unique (and I do really mean UNIQUE) variety, as sort of mentioned before, and this still counts for sure for different angles. But the greatness is, besides all those different angles and directions, that Sunshine & Lollipops persist in their self-invented weirdness. I think the additional vocals of Siniestro’s Linus Öhrn too mark some parts!
I think it might be important to listen in the first place to the album as a ‘whole’, and then to dissect every single element before rejoining the total experience once again. The first enjoyment will be one of confusion and frenzy, leaving you unsatisfied and, at the same time, overwhelmed for sure. The next step, going deeper into the individual details, will surely reveal hidden layers that might define your initial doubts or concerns. And then you will experience the total package – let it overcome you – forget empty-headed and pathetic limitations…
Let’s raise our empty chalice!