Nitetime Sunshine

Ashes Grammar proved to be a step forward for the group, and now A Sunny Day is Glasgow have used the remains of the Ashes for their new EP Nitetime Rainbows. EP's are a good thing. They let the artist experiment with their sound and explore their artistic freedom, usually pressure free.

Along with three remixes of the "Nitetime Rainbows" song, the band gives fans a small handful of new tracks. The results span from beautiful, interesting, to down-right weird. While the sound doesn't fit conventions of typical pop music, some of the arragments make for a “digestable” alterantive to pop fans. In other words, this is alternative music for those who do not care much for alternative music.

On the other hand, the EP by no means sells-out. No catering to the status-quo here. “So Bloody, So Tight” may sound like it would be a free-for-all electroclash or hard rock track, but on the contrary, it's a lite fusion of accoustic and techno. Nothing very bloody about this. Quite loose and clean sounding, actually. “Piano Lessons” opens with its adventurous mix of organic pianos and new-wave electric riffs teaches the listener a thing or two about the merging of two completely different sounds and making it work.

Of there three remixes of “Nitetime Rainbows,” by far the most effective remix is the Buddy System remix, which includes Indian chant, trance beats, and a so-fresh, so-clean feel to it. Then the group goes completely avant garde on their EP, especially in the acid wash edit of the track. The mix perfectly captures what you would expect an acid wash to sound like. Lastly, the Ezekiel Honig remix has an eery, repetitive kind of thing going on, sounding more like a horror flick soundtrack than the oceanic-tingled original.

When it comes to the actual original recording of the track, “Nitetime Rainbows,” the track actually reminds the listener of what Madonna's demos may have sounded like during her 1998 Ray of Light sessions. With electric guitar drums, electronica atmopheric beats, and a lite-dance rhythm, the song is destined to become an alt. radio classic. On the other side of the rainbow, “Daytime Rainbows” dives into a music world that sounds like a distorted Blondie record. The two tracks are like day and night, in fact, the songs don't sound like they were recorded by the same artist.

This may be the group's strongest EP yet, and released only a few months after the Ashes Grammar LP, the disc makes for a nice treat for the fans between albums. And with a pinch of electroclash, a cup of acoustic flavor, and a spoonful of avant-garde, the EP makes for an interesting dish of music.