Maybe it's a just a weird personal thing, but as the first notes of Thief's "Sunchild" started playing, my mind immediately expected to hear a few samples ripped from The Violent Femmes' "A Blister In The Sun", though very quickly I realized how much more relaxed and peaceful this song was going to be. It wouldn't at all be like Thief, a collaboration between Sascha Gottschalk and two members of Jazzanova, to sound anything other than tranquil and melodic. The best way I can summarize the sound of Thief's full-length album "Sunchild" is to say that it's most often an acoustic version of 70s soul mixed with 60s pop melodies that's higlighted by slyly intelligent percussion and production techniques.

1. Sunchild
2. Atlantic
3. Hold On, Hold On
4. If There Was A Love
5. Clouds
6. Self Portrait
7. Does It Make Any Sense
8. Somewhere
9. (Like) Leaves
10. Home
11. Sunchild (reprise)

Thief is nothing if not consistent, and as a result there aren't very many ups-and-downs as you drift from song-to-song. "Somewhere" is one of the heaviest instrumentations on the album, dropping a some synth keys and nice mellow beats, with the acoustic guitar taking a back seat to all the other elements. It's an example of one end of Thief's range, from simple guitar, drum and voice compositions, to those that incorprate electronic and symphonic elements.

Thief are happy to say that their sound takes after the sounds of the second half of the sixties, and though being reminiscent of bands like The Beatles, is certainly well marked by the influences of the modern studio it was recorded in, and the modern minds that conceived the sound.

Any fan of the new acoustic folk sound needs to get their hands on this album. Jazzanova fans can use this as an opportunity to expand their horizon, though in truth, most are likely to have already embraced this very acoustic, future-past sound with a heart formed of 60s acoustic pop, soul and jazz.

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