Delta Spirit - 'Ode To Sunshine' (Rounder) Released 23/03/09

The artwork that accompanies Delta Spirit’s debut album, ‘Ode to Sunshine’ consists solely of old-school family photos – each with the potential to tell a story. But the album itself does that job. Family is a topic that creeps up time and time again throughout this record, diving into other more dark subjects elsewhere. And even more poignant is the close-knit sound that emerges from each track, Matt Vasquez and his companions sound so tight, on exactly the same wavelength, almost like a family themselves.

This is exactly what boosts ‘Ode to Sunshine’ into something a little more remarkable. Essentially, no band on the planet, apart from maybe White Rabbits, sounds so similar to Cold War Kids. This witty, gritty, ironically happy sound dominates prime example, ‘People C’mon’ and its compatriots. Such a similarity lends itself to a quick-fire dismissal but upon repeated listens emerges a unique charm that helps lift up the ton hanging above the bands heads. ‘Streetwalker’ and ‘House Built for Two’, assist in separating the band from contemporaries, with a sound fitting for incoming warmer seasons. And throughout it all arrives this ‘family charm’: you feel like you shouldn’t be invited in to what feels like a special anniversary party. But in you go.

Despite the record’s key asset being its infectiousness and catchiness, it’s ultimately a collection of tracks that requires repeated listens. Behind the zany façade is something far darker, evident in ‘People Turn Around’, which despite containing a clearly positive message, still contains the line “the blood we’ve been spilling will bleed us dry, the life we’ve been killing, is no life like mine”. You get the sense that Vasquez is damaged by a past experience and has just lifted himself from the rubble, emerging victorious. Penultimate track, ‘Children’, reveals a stadium-inclined drive to the five-piece, with a rapid acoustic-led rhythm section closely tied with Arcade Fire. “I love the life I lead and I know my enemies!” chants Vasquez with such belief. It’s the one hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck moment you receive from a record that clearly had no intention of doing such a job.

’Ode to Sunshine’ is quick to reveal a simplistic, two-dimensional picture, but it always hints at something more ambitious. You pinch yourself when ‘Children’ first arrives, contemplating whether it really is the same band that introduced themselves so timidly in short opener, ‘Tomorrow Goes Away’. But that’s not to say the joyous momentum the record carries is false. Quite the opposite – Delta Spirit were probably just a bunch of happy guys who just happened to bump into something special. They were smart enough to use it.