Ecstatic Sunshine

If musicians are creative and talented enough, they don't need much in the way of equipment to make interesting sounds. A couple of guitars will do, as Ecstatic Sunshine's Matt Papich and Dustin Wong understand. Freckle Wars, the duo's debut for Carpark Records, features twelve instrumental duels that feel small...

By Michael Roberts

October 26, 2006

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If musicians are creative and talented enough, they don't need much in the way of equipment to make interesting sounds. A couple of guitars will do, as Ecstatic Sunshine's Matt Papich and Dustin Wong understand. Freckle Wars, the duo's debut for Carpark Records, features twelve instrumental duels that feel small in scope, yet span a vast amount of musical territory. For instance, "Ramontana" sports relatively calm passages that are intermittently shattered by frenetic chording and sonic bursts, while "Wave Chop" juxtaposes witty, intricate solos with slabs of noise that crash together at the song's wonderfully chaotic conclusion. Along the way, Papich and Wong, who met, appropriately enough, at a Baltimore art school, touch upon indie rock, art rock, folk music and metal without lingering for long in any style, and their restless imaginations keep their work seeming fresh despite the simplicity of the tools on which they rely. Even without drums, bass, keyboards or vocals, Ecstatic Sunshine (opening for Make Believe) still manages to heat things up.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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