Customer Reviews

Sybris

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That's the best way to describe this glorious assault on the senses by one of the few new(er) bands doing it right and that is by having fun doing it. Based in one of the great music cities in the world Chicago and fresh off the Lollapalooza '06 this band is wasting no time going there. Vocalist Angela Mullenhour is a presence onstage engulfing the microphone as she destroys her guitar all the while smiling and even giggling like a little kid at their own b-day party. The rest of the band blast sensory melting passion from the stage in much the same way. Think Sonic Youth guitar walls, Bjorky vocals but much dreamier and soulful and drums that lift you up and down through the bipolarism of it all. Throw in a little 80'epic soundscapes and a little punk for fun and you have one of the best Psych Pop/Rock bands in the biz. See them live buy the album. Catch this train while the seats are cheap. I know this is a lot of hype for a band you probably just heard of for the first time and I know I only gave this album four stars but I know for a fact the next album will be five which in my opinion is a perfect rating.

Even though Sybris S/T debut album is 3 years old, each tune holds up beautifully to repeated listens. It would be a fine addition to anyone's CD/mp3 collection if you enjoy strong female vocals, tight song structures, and other worldly guitar textures. I talked to the band recently and they clued me in to a new song ("Oh Man!") on their myspace page and the fact that they will have a new album coming out in 2008. Keep an eye out for it as I am sure it will be landing on many top ten lists for 08.

I am immensely grateful that I heard about this record through word of mouth. Sybris channels all of the textures of late 80s and 90s guitar rock - Daydream Nation-era Sonic Youth, Superchunk, the Pixies, Lush, to name a few - with singer Angela Mullenhour's voice drawling, yelping and howling above those textures. With so many changes in sound, volume and rhythm in the songs, audio clips have a hard time of doing the band justice. However, just a few bars of Mullenhour's voice should give you a sense of its power as well as the creativity of the lyrics.

With so many guitar-oriented bands sounding an amalgam of 1980s British rock, Sybris is making original music that is unafraid of its previous influences while still joyfully and powerfully innovative. If Sybris maintains their momentum from this debut, their next record will be incredible. And you'll be so happy that someone turned you on to their first record.