Brightside (Viva Saturn album)

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Brightside
Brightside (Viva Saturn album).jpg
Studio album by
Viva Saturn
Released1995
Genre Alternative rock
Label Restless [1]
Producer Matt Piucci, Steven Roback
Viva Saturn chronology
Soundmind
(1992)		Brightside
(1995)		Ships of Heaven
(1998, unreleased)

Brightside is an album by the American band Viva Saturn, released in 1995. [2] [3] It was the band's final album, as Restless Records chose not to release 1998's Ships of Heaven. [4]

Contents

Production

The album was produced by Matt Piucci and Steven Roback, former bandmates in the Rain Parade. [5] It closes with a cover of "One for My Baby", a song made popular by Frank Sinatra; the cover first appeared on the Sinatra tribute album, Chairman of the Board: Interpretations of Songs Made Famous by Frank Sinatra. [6] [7] Roback wrote or cowrote nine of the 11 songs. [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Province Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Trouser Press thought that "the somber 'String Me Out a Line' conveys aching loneliness with haunting clarity, its gentle acoustic instrumentation and quiet vocal harmonies making it Brightside's most memorable track." [10] Stereo Review called the album "a well-crafted slice of retro-psychedelic pop-rock." [11] The Stafford Post noted the "road-friendly rockers" and "drowsy psychedelia." [12]

The Province opined that, "as Piucci and Roback were members of Rain Parade, a major player in L.A.'s Paisley Underground scene of the mid-'80s, Viva Saturn could also be seen by both as a chance to resolve some unfinished aspects of their past... Unfortunately, Brightside, while attractive, is less substantial than any of their other projects." [5] Billboard concluded that Piucci "is especially impressive; his stint backing Neil Young in Crazy Horse is noticeable in his taut, laconic lead work." [6]

AllMusic wrote that "Roback's detached, nasal twang blends nicely into an atmospheric backdrop of textured guitars, piano accents and feedback." [9] The Rough Guide to Rock determined that the album "continued [the Rain Parade's] journey, rediscovering the plaintive melodicism mislaid in their 1988 comeback." [13]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Send a Message" 
2."Black Cloud" 
3."Brightside" 
4."Here Comes April" 
5."Abandoned Car" 
6."String Me Out a Line" 
7."Mourn the Light" 
8."Distracted" 
9."Nothing Helps" 
10."Heart of You" 
11."One for My Baby" 

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Dave (November 2, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation.
  2. ↑ Snyder, Michael (April 23, 1995). "Ringing Saturn". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 42.
  3. ↑ Takiff, Jonathan (July 10, 1995). "Dog days don't apply here". Florida/Metro. The Tampa Tribune. Knight Ridder. p. 3.
  4. ↑ "Artist Biography by Tracy Frey". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Harrison, Tom (October 19, 1995). "Some disturbing conclusions". The Province. p. B6.
  6. 1 2 Mirkin, Steven (June 3, 1995). "Restless' Viva Saturn more than a spinoff". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 22. p. 11.
  7. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (January 30, 1994). "Various artists, 'Chairman of the Board: Interpretations of Songs Made Famous by Frank Sinatra'". Show. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 8.
  8. ↑ Lipton, Michael (September 28, 1995). "Viva Saturn Brightside". LA Weekly. p. 81.
  9. 1 2 "Brightside - Viva Saturn". AllMusic– via www.allmusic.com.
  10. ↑ "Viva Saturn". Trouser Press. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  11. ↑ Simels, Steve (November 1995). "Viva Saturn - Brightside". Stereo Review. Vol. 60, no. 11. p. 126.
  12. ↑ Evans, Chris (August 3, 1995). "Viva Saturn: Brightside". Stafford Post. p. 25.
  13. ↑ Tighe, Chris (1999). The Rough Guide to Rock (2nd ed.). Rough Guides Ltd. p. 798.
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