The O.C. is pretty much like Oprah. If you go on Oprah, you are automatically famous; your book will sell a million copies, your UGG boots will fly off the shelves, you’ll start receiving fan mail…well, you get the point. Similarly, if your music gets played on The O.C., you are automatically the next Death Cab For Cutie. The SundayRunners could be the next Death Cab, but they might have to cross their fingers.
On their self-titled debut for Machine Records, this Chicago-based group delivers a little more than the average Maroon Five radio outfit, but doesn’t move much past that. SundayRunners play slow, piano-driven rock, backed by slowish guitar, a cello, and multitude of drummers and bass players. One would expect this to lead to a barrage of sound, but the entire LP is dry, dull, and uneventful. On tracks like “Flying Saucers” and “Into Your Head,” singer/guitarist Randy Diderrich drags his voice along painfully, with such a lack of emotion, it’s hard to tell if he feels anything at all.
Overall, SundayRunners fall way short. The tracks are too long, and their lack of effort is more than obvious. The one thing I will give them is their choice of cover art, which is a bleak, yet stunning painting by Win Jones. If only their music was as beautiful as this painting, they might be able to move more units like Death Cab.
