The Sunsetters project is supposed to emulate the feeling of discovery of a new band's discography. When I find a band I hadn't listened to before, I find there are two main phases to my experience:
The First Listen: I gotta hear everything first, at least once,
I Am A Fan: now that I have heard everything, I can jump to whatever song or album I'm in the mood for, forever.
And, like, look. I could come up with a proper linear fictional narrative, taking you through the full story of the Sunsetters as they recorded each album chronologically; that would provide a convenient Beginner's Guide to point you to, and it might even feel like Internet Fiction (which this is), but that's not the spirit of the thing. When you get into a new band, do you buy their biography and read it from the beginning, listening to each album as it becomes relevant? No, you listen to the music, and just kinda in whichever order fits best with you at that point. That is the design principle of the Sunsetters project. We invite you to play pretend, and stories will emerge as you dig in.
So. You just gotta dive into the music. But where do you start?
Listening to each album chronologically probably makes the most sense, but it's also not required. You can feasibly start with any of their albums!
First, note that this Website hosts the music for convenient listening, and links out to a few alternate ways of listening to or downloading the music (mainly via Google Drive or the Internet Archive, and Bandcamp if you want to support us financially), but there are also two ways of watching the music (both of which have their benefits). Let me go over these.
The Concert: Watch the band play the songs, just for you! Coded in javascript.
The Lyric Videos: A YouTube playlist of videos that time the lyrics to the songs.
Second, note that the Sunsetters albums were designed as albums, deliberate tracklists to be listened to in full. You can jump around and listen to specific songs (and I've given some recommendations in the list below), but it is the context around the songs that gives them purpose, just as much as it is the individual composition. I highly recommend, whatever album you choose, you commit to listening to the whole album, at least for your first listen. The list below is in chronological order.
The Mythology of Empathy: Besides being the first album (and therefore where you'd start if listening chronologically), Mythology is also very recognizable as a "rock album," a collection of punchy songs showing off what a Sunsetters album sounds like. It's the shortest album, too, so it's not hard to get through. "Burning Books" is a great song to introduce you to the project, which is also why it's placed so early in the album.
Summer Sucks: I'll be honest, you probably should not start with Summer Sucks. It is a deliberate dive into the deep end, an extreme example of what a Sunsetters album can be. But if you want to start off by exposing yourself to complexity and ambition, it might be perfect for you! It is dizzying, unrelenting, and gets better and better as it goes on. "Found the Fountain of Mab" and "Tired Anthem" are staggering things, shooting for some serious beauty.
We Excavate: Their third album might be a good place to start! It's slower, interested in spending time in some cool moods ("Oxen of the Sea" and "In the Sunken Blue" are very moody!), and the narrative is compelling and symbolic, a trip to the bottom of the sea to learn about the gods! Plus it climaxes with "Lowest Point," which is an epic worth listening to.
Railroad to Metropolis: This is an EP! It's basically just one song, albeit a 20-minute song. And it can be listened to whenever! You could start here, it's a great example of the Sunsetters as a band, putting all their heads together to make some Neat music that tells you a story! Come here if you like robots and dread but want the music to be cute. May it whet your appetite for more substantial Sunsetters albums!
No Entry: The fourth album is very listenable. You can absolutely start here, and in fact I would recommend this if you're not going chronological. The music is tight and diverse, and the plot is a dark character study. Careful where you step, as there are some deep rabbit holes here. But the moods are strong and the music is.. damn good. Any one of the songs is good to jump to if you must, but "Prophetic to the Blind" and "The Man Who Wasn't There" are both bops!
Ancestor: Another EP! Five songs in a particular order, but they're generally slow songs that explore particular kinds of metal. The whole thing is 30 minutes, making this shorter than Mythology, though it's a pretty specific mood. This EP works very well as a "to be continued," around the tail-end of your listening experience, but I also just.. don't know what it'd be like to listen to this one first!
Addendum: If you decide to listen chronologically, starting with The Mythology of Empathy, I think you should give thought as to what you'll listen to second!Summer Sucks may be the second album chronologically, but if its length intimidates you, you may benefit from listening to We Excavate second instead! (Do not mistake me for saying I do not recommend Summer Sucks. It is my personal favorite Sunsetters album and rewards relistens. I would be happiest if everyone heard Summer Sucks and really gave it their full attention. But it is the longest Sunsetters album so far and quite singular in the discography. You have to really be in the mood for it, in a way that does not apply as strongly to the rest of the albums. And so its placement in your First Listen may call for more consideration.)
One last note: There may or may not be Secret Albums on this Website. These are not listed here and would have to be stumbled upon. If they existed, of course.
The Mythology of Empathy: Besides being the first album (and therefore where you'd start if listening chronologically), Mythology is also very recognizable as a "rock album," a collection of punchy songs showing off what a Sunsetters album sounds like. It's the shortest album, too, so it's not hard to get through. "Burning Books" is a great song to introduce you to the project, which is also why it's placed so early in the album.
Summer Sucks: I'll be honest, you probably should not start with Summer Sucks. It is a deliberate dive into the deep end, an extreme example of what a Sunsetters album can be. But if you want to start off by exposing yourself to complexity and ambition, it might be perfect for you! It is dizzying, unrelenting, and gets better and better as it goes on. "Found the Fountain of Mab" and "Tired Anthem" are staggering things, shooting for some serious beauty.
We Excavate: Their third album might be a good place to start! It's slower, interested in spending time in some cool moods ("Oxen of the Sea" and "In the Sunken Blue" are very moody!), and the narrative is compelling and symbolic, a trip to the bottom of the sea to learn about the gods! Plus it climaxes with "Lowest Point," which is an epic worth listening to.
Railroad to Metropolis: This is an EP! It's basically just one song, albeit a 20-minute song. And it can be listened to whenever! You could start here, it's a great example of the Sunsetters as a band, putting all their heads together to make some Neat music that tells you a story! Come here if you like robots and dread but want the music to be cute. May it whet your appetite for more substantial Sunsetters albums!
No Entry: The fourth album is very listenable. You can absolutely start here, and in fact I would recommend this if you're not going chronological. The music is tight and diverse, and the plot is a dark character study. Careful where you step, as there are some deep rabbit holes here. But the moods are strong and the music is.. damn good. Any one of the songs is good to jump to if you must, but "Prophetic to the Blind" and "The Man Who Wasn't There" are both bops!
Ancestor: Another EP! Five songs in a particular order, but they're generally slow songs that explore particular kinds of metal. The whole thing is 30 minutes, making this shorter than Mythology, though it's a pretty specific mood. This EP works very well as a "to be continued," around the tail-end of your listening experience, but I also just.. don't know what it'd be like to listen to this one first!