The gothic pop band Balaam & the Angel were formed in Birmingham, England in 1984 by the Scottish-born Morris brothers; vocalist/bassist Mark, drummer Des, and guitarist Jim. The siblings started their career while still children, playing men's clubs as a cabaret-styled act; as adults, they began as a more pop-oriented unit, but found themselves affiliated with the goth rock movement after a series of opening dates for the Cult. After founding their own label, Chapter 22 Records, Balaam & the Angel released their debut EP, Love Me, in 1985; the subsequent Day and Night sigle brought the group to the attention of Virgin, who promptly forgot about them.
The original Sun Family,
released in 1986, compiled ten songs Balaam & the Angel had recorded at the
outset of their career for the Chapter 22 label, all but one of which had been
issued on 1984-1985 EPs. The expanded CD edition, released by Anagram in 2002,
adds nine bonus tracks. Taken together, the 19 songs include all 10 of the
songs from the 1984-1985 Chapter 22 EPs, though unfortunately the liner notes
don't make it clear what the sources of the nine bonus cuts are. Presumably,
it's all from the mid-'80s, though it's uncertain whether the six bonus songs
that didn't appear on the 1984-1985 EPs are the same versions of the tracks
with the same titles that are on their 1986 Virgin EPs. Although this is part
of Anagram's Goth revival line, it's above average for Goth rock, with more of
a pop feel and more mainstream production. It's not exactly mainstream or Goth;
it's moody but not esoteric post-punk, with the kind of melodramatic vocals and
watery guitar reverb one associates with mid-'80s recordings of the sort.
Occasionally there's a sort of arty, ambient postmodern chamber music feel, and
touches like the flute (or flute-like sound) on "For More Than a Day"
and "Return Again" liberate this from some of the more clichéd Post-Punk/Goth
formulas. The songs do sound similar to each other too often, but as this kind
of stuff goes, it's relatively reserved and dignified.