Span of Sunshine

Span of Sunshine
This Must Be the Present
(independent)

On This Must Be the Present, Steve Koziol sings, "I bought me a radish." Good stuff. Then: "A radish for me." Excellent. Span of Sunshine is very sunshiny indeed. Loads of 1960s flourishes, with a sort of mash-up of Elvis Costello (okay so '70s, too) multi-instrumentalism, Beach Boys harmony and Monkees and early Beatles tomfoolery. The exuberant and florid poppiness in evidence all over sports a decided kids' music vibe—it's just that darned happy. The proceedings are guided by Koziol's high, reverb-soaked vocals. This one is a well-produced, shiny album aimed directly at the old-school pop lover. —James Heflin - Valley Advocate

Published on GazetteNET (http://www.gazettenet.com)
Clubland: Dog days' cool tunes
By kmaiuri
Created 07/24/2008 - 09:31
It is 4 a.m. and I can't sleep. Partly because of the oppressive heat in my apartment, and partly because there's manic music bouncing around my skull thanks to two local artists in creative overdrive: Seth Hall and Span of Sunshine's Steve Koziol. They just released their debut albums, both of which blast some zazz into these muggy dog days.
Span of Sunshine's vocalists Steve Koziol and Hilary Weiner were among the agog fans outside the Brian Wilson concert at the Calvin last week, which gives you some idea of their inspiration for their debut album, "This Must Be the Present." The Greenfield band's recipe for quirky, hooky and sparkling pop blends sunny California vibes with off-kilter XTC and The Negro Problem, cleverly arranged harmonies à la The Free Design, and breezy '60s sounds like The 5th Dimension and Spanky and Our Gang.
Multi-instrumentalist Koziol is the songwriter and visionary here. Valley fans might be familiar with his old band Dingo Roi; if that group's sound was jagged and challenging with prog-rock edges, Span of Sunshine is friendlier and more accessible, but no less unique.
If bands still released singles from albums, "Waiting for No One" might be this one's, since it sways like a close friend of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 and The Cyrkle and has a great chorus, one of the catchiest things on the record. "Big Change" and "Radish" are propulsive rock songs with playful lyrics, although the grand prize in that category goes to opening song "Even Monkeys Fall from Trees," on which Koziol translates the title into Japanese. "It won't be perfect/ please forgive me," he sings apologetically, then bravely gives it his best shot; Weiner echoes the Japanese words in her best Pizzicato 5 whisper.
Like mid-period Of Montreal records, it takes a few listens for all the hooks of Koziol's melodically busy songs to sink in. But if you appreciate bands who stretch the typical definition of pop, the time you spend with Span of Sunshine pays off.
"This Must Be the Present" will give you plenty of cool things to hum while you wait for the slowpoke oscillating fan to pass by again and send a little breeze your way.
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Source URL: http://www.gazettenet.com/2008/07/24/clubland-dog-days-cool-tunes

Span of Sunshine’s This Must Be the Present: produced and engineered by Norm DeMoura at Harmonium Studio, mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering, Boston MA.

- Hampshire Gazzette

The Daily Hampshire Gazette on gazette.net May 8, 2008:

"Span of Sunshine is the latest project from onetime Dingo Roi guitarist/vocalist Steve Koziol, and the quartet is yet another indescribable quirky pop band that works weird magic with harmonies and arrangements. If you're a fan of The 5th Dimension, The Free Design or The Negro Problem, "Waiting for No One" will make you very happy, while more electric songs like "Radish" might be just what old XTC fans are jonesing for. Koziol is no doubt working hard on the band's magnum opus debut, but until it exists as an object you can proudly blare in your car (or download as a file), your only chance to experience Span of Sunshine in full-frequency fidelity is at the Rendezvous in Turners Falls on Saturday at 9 p.m. They're a great band."
- Ken Mauri, Daily Hampshire Gazette - Daily Hampshire Gazette