AV Super Sunshine Releases “Frankenstein” (Single/Video)

“Frankenstein” is the latest single from the creative sparkplug otherwise known as AV Super Sunshine. This prodigious performing and songwriting power have built a high-charged discography drawing from a few influences. His longstanding admiration for Lady Gaga is a major inspiration behind the song, but I believe there’s more going on. Its October release and title/theme obviously play into the Halloween season and some of that spirit creeps into the track. It’s a light touch, however. I believe the song, as well, reflects the strong connection AV Super Sunshine feels and wants to nourish with his audience.

URL: https://avsupersunshine.com/

This is proudly music for oddballs, misfits, and renegades. He has the air of an iconoclastic, yet approachable, and exudes a personality that holds your attention. “Frankenstein” is full of the elements defining excellent music – top notch musicianship, compelling vocals, an arresting beat, and so forth. There is, however, something intangible about AV Super Sunshine’s music that pulls me into his web. It is a deep sparkle within you see in performers obviously born to do this. “Frankenstein” has the sound of someone who has discovered his path and I doubt he will ever leave it.

The drumming sets a clean and steady tempo for the piece. He doesn’t adorn the arrangement with a bevy of instrumental threads weighing the track down; a distinguishing characteristic of AV Super Sunshine’s songwriting is that it follows a straight-line much of the time and musical sidebars are few. The primary accompaniment present throughout “Frankenstein” is unshakable rhythm guitar and keyboards. Michael Bradford’s production strengths play to this sort of setup, witness his two albums with Deep Purple, without ever competing with the vocal for the song’s spotlight.

AV Super Sunshine’s vocal delivery is as strong as ever. There are some light vocal effects applied to his voice, but they are hardly noticeable. He adopts a varying tone for his singing, sometimes near-speaking, others hushed. The vocal arrangement syncs up well with its musical counterpart and the overall effect gives the song satisfying completeness.

I love the song’s video. It’s off-kilter and occasionally goofy, but never in an annoying way. It’s a mix of different recurring images and features Philomena Victor and Michael Bradford’s presence throughout the clip. Much of the video follows the same editing template common to many videos; the quick cuts between various portions of the video are never jarring. It is full of super-heated colors that are a virtual feast for the eyes.

APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/frankenstein/1588249732?i=1588249735

“Frankenstein” pulses with vibrant life. It also communicates, especially during its video, irrepressible fun that doesn’t insult listeners/viewers. AV Super Sunshine’s single pops for me from the first and I expect it will for many listeners; it sounds near-effortless despite the time you know he put into making it happen and has enormous natural likability. It is another powerful reminder of his talents and should garner more attention for this important artist than he’s experienced so far. His “Frankenstein” is far from fearsome and a creation anyone would be proud of. 

Michael Rand