Places Around the Sun - Places Around the Sun

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PLACES AROUND THE SUN is an Alternative band based out of Lisbon, Portugal. With fewer than 1000 Facebook likes, I think it’s safe to say they are a relatively new band. Their newest self-titled album here contains ten tracks. “Intro” is a short, two-minute instrumental opener. There really isn’t much going on here. A few guitar chords, and it’s over. “Lost I am Found” is three-and-a-half minutes in length. It has an old school feeling to it…sort of like THE DOORS meets THE MONKEYS. Dark tones resonate throughout the song, as the vocals are playful at times.

“The Wanted One” features acoustical guitars and a Latin sound for me. The bass notes come in strong here, but I’m not even sure this in the Hard Rock wheelhouse. Harmonic vocals come in at the chorus, and they help round out the sound. “Bury it” is closer to five-minutes in length. The guitar riff is a bit heavier here, and the vocals are smooth in their delivery. I’m not really connecting with the music here very much. “Chasing Tails” features a fairly heavy guitar riff, combined with some lackadaisical vocals. It creates a smooth and easy listening experience, and retains some dark qualities. I am really at loss however coming up with a band that they sound like in particular.

“Embracer” has a more staccato approach, but the vocals remain whimsical. The bass guitar stands out here as providing much of the instrumentation. It moves just a little bit into the shadows here and there. “Down the Road” hears that sound continue. Like I mentioned, I’m really having trouble describing the band to the listeners. The music is somewhat melancholy and the vocals are depressing, but beyond that, it is very hard to describe. “Interlude” is under one-minute in length, and really hardly has any sound at all, save for a few eerie guitar chords. “Rising Sun” is a little more straightforward of a Hard Rock song. The riff is more linear as well.

“Eight” closes the album. It opens with dreamy tones in both the vocals and the guitars, and that despondence is still there. The drums are just light tom strikes at first, then the main riff rolls in just past the one-minute mark. The vocals vary from “oohs” and “ahhs” to sung parts. A Some lead guitar notes occupy the end of the song. Loosely, I could compare them to THE CURE, but without that overly dramatic sound the band has. There is a darkness that is ever-present…a depression them carried through the album. But aside from that, there isn’t many other ways that I could describe the band, and the album made little impact on me.

Songwriting: 5
Musicianship: 5
Memorability: 2
Production: 7