Sunroof! started performing circa 1997, not long after the official retirement of Skullflower; like Total, it was essentially Bower plus whatever associates were available to guest. The band made its recorded debut with 2000's double-CD Delicate Autobahns Under Construction, a trio release for VHF that featured two of Bower's Total/Skullflower cohorts: reed player John Godbert and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Neil Campbell (also of Vibracathedral Orchestra). Found Star Sound followed later that year, having been recorded mostly at the formerly London-based Bower's home in Cumbria, a rainy, rural area in northwestern England. Its pastoral, home-recorded feel and hints of acid-damaged folk drew comparisons to post-rockers Flying Saucer Attack. A vinyl-only set called Sad Frog Wind appeared on Giardia in early 2001, consisting of two side-long pieces.
Issued later that year by VHF, the more prominent Bliss was another double-CD set with a supporting cast that included Campbell, Rosalie Bower, guitarist Richard Youngs (another Total/Skullflower contributor with extensive credits of his own), and the members of Newcastle avant-noisemakers Jazzfinger. Sunroof! also appeared on the VHF live compilation Freak On!, which included additional tracks from cohorts Richard Youngs and the Vibracathedral Orchestra. Bower's own Rural Electrification Program label subsequently issued archival collections of live Sunroof! material, spanning the group's entire career up to that point; these collections, which included Slipstream and Temple Music, Vols. 1 2, were available only in CD-R form. The more official release Cloudz appeared on VHF in 2003, and marked a move toward a softer, more serene brand of trance-rock. It was accompanied by the group's first U.S. appearances late in the year, which produced the limited-edition CD-R USSA. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
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Machine |
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Pink Stream 1 |
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Zero |