365 Days, 365 Files: Bleach – Sun-dance(Moon-dance)
It’s a rare and gratifying experience when a record store employee puts something on the in-store stereo that gets customers asking about what’s playing.
I was surprised when I discovered the buyers at the record store where I used to work managed to get Bleach’s self-titled album in stock. This was before Australian Cattle God released the album in the States.
So I cued it up to play in-store, and when it came on, a number of customers came up to the counter to ask what was playing. I think one was asking out of repulsed curiosity, but the other two were genuinely digging it. Someone eventually bought the album right then and there. I earned my paycheck for the day.
Bleach’s eponymous third album is the most accessible of all the trio’s work so far. It’s no less brash than the band’s other albums, but there’s a finesse the others eschew. In other words, there are some discernible melodies and actual hooks.
Bleach returned to Austin for SXSW in 2004 and performed "Sun-dance(Moon-dance)". The drum-and-fife rhythm pounded by Sayuri had bassist Miya marching back and forth on the stage, a maniacal look on her face. It’s that indelible image that inspired me to select that track from some very good candidates on that album.
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