Vanity Matrix is the latest album by Tuff Sunshine who are the solo project by Johnny Leitera who is currently based in New York. Tuff Sunshine are currently a solo project but in the past former members of the group include Linda Pitmon, Turner Stough, Ritch Hutchins and Ani Cordero.
The album opens with the title tune Vanity Matrix that seems to posit the idea that the more vane you are the less cool or good you are, with swirling synths and gentle shaken tambourine, the drama in the lyrics unfolds, all sorts of situations arise, full of the hollow promises of social media stats et al, they are dealt with on the piano with urgency, can you pull down the fader in time or not.
The Story Ends opens with some cool acoustic Spanish style guitar for Johnny's burnished vocals to ooze over, wondering if this really is the end. Punctuated by quavering guitar lines echoing through the blood and core of the pain, this song is centred about, does your phantom limb still shake.
Elevator Eyes almost feels like a gruff sounding Squeeze, with the stream of consciousness lyrics explaining just why you've got those Elevator Eyes, the piano solo is more Allen Toussaint than Jools Holland thankfully, you'll need to hear this a few times to get everything going on in the lyrics, or what they might mean, or if you really do have Elevator Eyes.
The Bell is about the pub of that name in Bristol rather than a specific Bell, I'd prefer to move the action to The Bell in Walthamstow, where if you have a rose between your teeth, you are probably hinting that you want to go to the swingers club across the road from the pub. The see sawing guitars helping to open up the possibilities, of what might happen if you cross that road, quite what you'll be temporarily immune from is a delicate question, the hazy backing may explain. The female vocals that come in to reply to John's lyrics only add to the intrigue.
Legwork has an urgency for doing what you have to do, to fix things, have you been jilted again, the guitars surround you making you feel tense and disconcerted, yet refreshed at the possibilities that will open up, when you do indeed put in the Legwork.
Wind It Up whisper it in your ear over slow acoustic guitar and gently harmonies, just Wind It Up and let it go, hopefully it will sort things for you long before the woodwind comes in to give this a rather bucolic funky feel.
Thank The Pilot Suicide By Papercuts is two songs that bleed together, its always good advice to thank the pilot for a safe journey, before things get a bit tenser, you've given yourself the green light for Suicide By Papercuts, it will take a good few of them, so hopefully you'll fail and get the help you need, this goes weirder musically not quite centred, just be careful who you blame for the state of play, why you'd want to commit suicide that way.
All My Best Laps Are Behind Me is a song for those of us of a certain vintage to look back and reflect, that we are on the downward curve of life, the neighbours still bang on the floor to get you to turn that noise down, this has a down at heart James Carr style feel, all those little things that now wind you up, that used to just wash by.
No Juice the pulsed guitars and whisper in your ears vocals, make sure you trim things up just right, the keyboards are off putting, throwing you off the scent, making sure you need to be micro dosed to get by. Don't give up the fight too easily.
The album closes with I Need A Hook that is probably the hookiest song on the album, the central riff anchors it all down, while you look for a getaway plan, to survive the current tempest blowing through everything. Hoping for bandmates who show up before your meant to go on stage. The riff doesn't give up while additional guitar decorates this tune as the lyrics get ever more complex.
Find out more at https://tuffsunshine.bandcamp.com/album/vanity-matrix https://www.facebook.com/tuffsunshine
