Even peering through the gauze of the back-story, Cat Power’s ninth album is a feat of musical and emotional maturity.
Transformed in both sound and spirit, Sun is a passionate pop album of electronic music filtered through a singer-songwriter’s soul.
On this album she shows herself as a true visionary, willing to develop and adapt.
A combination of bass drum, swirling synth and vocals that sit so low in the mix that snippets, rather than full lyrics, emerge like snatches of overheard conversation; it creates an overall effect that at times verges on the euphoric.
Sun is an album that conveys the full spectrum of emotions, but at the same time it manages to never sound convoluted or patched together.
There’s something about the flaws on this thing—the way Marshall lets it all hang loose, the way she continually tries to express a sentiment she can’t quite put into words—that’s absolutely fascinating in its humanity and compassion.
Sun doesn't reach the heights ... of Moon Pix, but more than anything else she's made, it feels like a companion piece to that record, a conversation with an older and wiser voice.
Sun isn’t the greatest collection of songs she’s ever released ... but even her B-game is always worth hearing.
Marshall’s transformation has made her songwriting slightly less powerful but it has also added a new element to an already multi-faceted personality.
Sun is undoubtedly Marshall’s boldest and most diverse effort to date, and it is all the better for it.
Lacking that up-close-and-personal aesthetic, Sun isn't likely to land among the singer/songwriter's best records.
She ain’t got nothing but time, after all, and she takes it with Sun, which—even with its missteps—is her most patient and generous record to date.
An interesting change of pace and addition to Cat Powers catalog. With more electronic instrumentation, the art pop direction suits her well
Cat Power goes electronic in this album. There are spacey synths and reverberated keys to create a large atmosphere which sets the tone for the album. Deep bass and reverberated electronic drums keep a dark base to everything despite the entire project sounding perky and upbeat. Chan’s soulful but soft vocals are layered with multiple tracks which add to the dream-like textures of everything. The mix does sound a little too compressed, but it’s bearable. There are also some corny ... read more
I love the sound of Cat Power's ninth album, Sun. The production reminds me of 1989 a little (that is a compliment), though it is largely its own thing. Manhattan is a song I enjoy listening to, ever since I heard it during a visit to Starbucks a couple of months ago.
The album has noticeable hiccups, however. Cherokee confuses me. The singer has stated that her "great-great-grandfather was a Cherokee medicine man", but I still don't know what the Cherokee tribe or their culture has ... read more
Cat Power goes electronic in this album. There are spacey synths and reverberated keys to create a large atmosphere which sets the tone for the album. Deep bass and reverberated electronic drums keep a dark base to everything despite the entire project sounding perky and upbeat. Chan’s soulful but soft vocals are layered with multiple tracks which add to the dream-like textures of everything. The mix does sound a little too compressed, but it’s bearable. There are also some corny ... read more
1 | Cherokee 4:45 | 88 |
2 | Sun 3:19 | 88 |
3 | Ruin 4:32 | 88 |
4 | 3,6,9 4:00 | 83 |
5 | Always On My Own 2:23 | 73 |
6 | Real Life 2:37 | 75 |
7 | Human Being 3:28 | 83 |
8 | Manhattan 5:16 | 85 |
9 | Silent Machine 4:00 | 83 |
10 | Nothin But Time 10:55 | 73 |
11 | Peace and Love 3:37 | 83 |
#4 | / | The Fly |
#5 | / | MAGNET |
#6 | / | FILTER |
#15 | / | MOJO |
#16 | / | Rolling Stone |
#21 | / | NME |
#22 | / | A.V. Club |
#22 | / | Time Out London |
#23 | / | Pazz & Jop |
#24 | / | SPIN |