Sonny Smith, Sonny and the Sunsets’ principal songwriter and instrumentalist, created 100 singles for a project commissioned by an art gallery in California. But the project required more than just a dizzying amount of music. Smith created a unique band(name) and artwork for each single, putting the conceptual intent in the range of The Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs, or Sufjan’s states project.
Culled from those 200 songs (100 A- and B-sides), Vol. 3 is the third and final collection available outside of the physical installment. While every tune carries a fuzzed-out retro tinge, the collection touches on everything from surf to reggae, from gypsy folk to hymnal-like a capella.
With his band of random players, Smith dabbles in a variety of sound and genres while maintaining the coy, waywardness of his usual charm. Tapping into the brooding cool of early Velvet Underground and the rambling vibes of Jonathan Richman, Smith seems naturally to put pen to paper and hand to guitar, playing these songs with both careless precision and an unending flow of inspiration.
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