Customer Reviews

Syndestructible

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What are the chances of a member of a major recording and touring band like Yes becoming involved in reforming their old pre-fame 60's outfit for the fun of it? And what are the chances of it being any good, much less being current or modern and vibrant and not particularly wallowing in nostalgia? Not knowing anything about The Syn other than the fact that Yes bass maestro Chris Squire and original Yes guitarist Peter Banks were involved and that one of their songs called 'Flower Man', I was pleasantly surprised.

First word is that this is not a Chris Squire solo band project, and it sounds nothing like the post-modern cut-and-paste sound of Conspiracy with Billy Sherwood. This is Squire in the context of a band- the same bass/backing vocals role he serves in his day job with YES, just with different musicians. Whereas Conspiracy was sleek, modern and heavy on Sherwood's glossy production and stop-and-go arrangements, The Syn's sound is more dry, warm, organic and 'Summery'. I'm not sure how close they sound now to the 'original' Syn, but 'Syndestructible' poses the intriguing scenario of: What if Yes never formed in 1968? What if the Syn moved on into the 70's. What if 'The Yes Album' were released by The Syn? The same goes for Peter Bank's FLASH. Parts of this sound like an imaginary Syn of 1974. There is the inevitable YES comparisons with Squire's bass up in the mix and his trademark backing vocals. THE WHO is another infuence that can be heard, they were always heroes to Squire and Banks. On the other hand, there is a timeless modern sound as well. Clearly this is progressive rock to enjoy, not overcomplicated noise to anylize and write a thesis on. Yet most of the 7 songs are somehat long and many of them run together(think Abbey Road or Dark Side Of The Moon).

Though musically involved and vibrant, the album is also strangely laid back. Singer Steve Nardelli may have something to do with this. One expecting anything like Jon Anderson will be shot down. Nardelli's voice is more of a rock & roll ringer, more bluesy and 'rootsy', while the lyrics are a long way off from the cosmic pretensiousness of Yes. The lyrics are simpler and more direct. Nardelli, I believe a Catholic, has a preoccupation with Angels which reoccur in several of the songs. There's no preachiness, though the songs are every bit as positive as Yes lyrics- just simpler and direct. Nardelli should get credit for a lot of the direction of the Syn. Having been away from the music business for years, he had been involved in business for a long time, and the label this record is on(Umbrello Records) is partly his label. The production is good, but basic, the sound is more organic- guitars, voice, bass, hammond, piano. Synths are kept at minimum and only come in to serve the music. The vocal harmonies are distictive- it's nice to hear Squire backing any singer, be it Anderson, Nardelli, Sherwood or Trevor Horn. The results are always powerful.

Today's Syn consists of original members Squire and Nardelli, with keyboardist Gerard Johnson, and brothers Jeremy Stacey(drums) and Paul Stacey(guitars). Alan White from Yes is drumming for them on tour, while original Syn members Andrew Jackman and Peter Banks are not involved(jackman sadly died a few years back and Banks had left the project). Banks was originally involved but dropped out, leaving a scathing letter about his departure on his website. Whether Banks cruelly got shafted by Nardelli and company or whether he is just a bitter guy with an anger management problem who can't function in a group is up for debate. But it would have been nice to have his somewhat jazzy/Townshend/midi-guitar styles on the project. Anyway, here's the tracks:


BREAKING DOWN WALLS: the intro is less than a mere minute and consists solely of interlocking, almost church choir-like vocals. The first three tracks are pretty much one track.

SOME TIME, SOME WAY: When Nardelli first comes in, you'll be shaken out of that subconscience 'I'm listening to a Yes record' feeling that the inro set you up for. His vocals may take getting used to, but they do fit the more laid back, rock sound of the Syn. Of all the tracks, this one may be the most ordinary, but the album gets better. They save the best material for later. But there is this laid back, 70's vibe on display here that you can't help but bob you head along to it.

REACH OUTRO: the previous track moves into this: a somewhat half Yes, half psychedelic jam done rather tastefully with no real wasted notes. Mid/late 70's Yes or even German band Eloy come to mind with this section.

CATHEDRAL OF LOVE: this is supposedly the 'hit' or airplay track that some progressive or underground stations have been playing to promote this record, and an instant classic. The album's anthem, the guitars recall Steve Howe, as Nardelli sings of finding love during a dark period of life. The song goes into a Deep Purple-like middle section before returning to its main themes. This is a well written song, with a beginning middle and end, and already a well loved album track.

CITY OF DREAMS: this is a good rock track with different sections. Squire provides a plodding bass line and Stacey provides some appropriate slide guitar twangs. The middle section is kind of 'Neo-prog' and reminds me of bands like early Marillion or Pallas, before moving back to the main themes and a long fade-out similar to 'Silently Falling' from Squire's solo album 'Fish Out Of Water'.

GOLDEN AGE: Not to be confused with either the unreleased YES track nor Billy Sherwood's WORLD TRADE track, both with the same name. This is a rock & roll track recalling Zeppelin, Mott The Hoople and similar bands. It is here that Nardelli's voice works best, when he opens with 'I was standing in a courtyard...'. He works well with Squire in the more progressive rock styles on the album, but his more down-to-earth delivery best suits the more bluesy rock styles best, where he excells rather than merely handles.

THE PROMISE: is the album's 'epic' track(13+ minutes), which goes through many sections, and is an undisputed high point of the record. A dreamy ballad moves into a dramatic anthem section, powerful instrumental fanfare, recurring themes and finale and fades out 'Close To Edge'-style with Squire's trademark bass getting the last word in. This is the kind of epic track that YES had been incapable of producing for some time now, the last great YES epic being 'Endless Dream' from 1994's TALK. Finally here is something here to rival it. Great ending to a fine album. I hope there is more to come.

With Yes stalling for time these days and not producing any new music, The SYN are lined up to take their place, and are a suitable clean slate for Squire to rediscover his music and possible futures. This will appeal to Yes fans, but also to rock fans who like the instrumentation of Yes but shy away from their more ponderous, pretentious side. The Syn aren't Yes but exhibit the same attention to detail and strong musicianship, but with a more rootsier atmosphere and wider appeal. I wouldn't be surprised to hear this in a pub somewhere on the docks. Let's hope there is more of The Syn to come.

There seems to be a wierd trend in the world of progressive rock today - musicians getting back together with bands they played with in their 'pre-fame' days. In recent years we have seen Kerry Livgren (of Kansas) do this with Proto-Kaw, Keith Emerson (of ELP) with the Nice, and Martin Orford & Mike Holmes (of IQ) with The Lens...Now comes a newly-reformed version of THE SYN, a 60's-era rock/psychedelic outfit that featured future Yes-members Chris Squire & Peter Banks. Back in the day this band released a few popular singles, were well-loved in London club scene, and often served opening act duties for The Who, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and The Move (an early version of E.L.O). As it turns out, Peter Banks is not part of this 2005 reunion CD, and seems quite bitter about that fact judging from a scathing 'open letter' printed on his website! (prior to "Syndestructible" there was apparently an aborted Syn line-up featuring Banks, with Landmarq's Steve Gee filling Squire's role.) The new Syn line-up, featured here, consists of Squire (bass guitar and harmony vocals), original founding member Stephen Nardelli (lead vocals), new keyboardist Gerard Johnson, and the sibling team of Jeremy Stacey (drums) and Paul Stacey (guitar). Perhaps not surprisingly, given their pedigree in the 60s music scene, the band's new music has a definite "retro" vibe to it. The production style, even down to the way that the drums and guitars are recorded, might lead one to believe that they are listening to a record made somewhere between 1967 and 1974. This might usually be something that would turn me off (as I tend to gravitate to more modern-sounding prog bands), but these guys pull the 'time warp' off so flawlessly (and so sincerely) that it's hard to find any fault. It's amazing to hear just how different this band sounds from the darker, more modern work of Conspiracy (Squire's other side project featuring Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen.) It's almost is if these two bands bring out different sides of Squire's personality. Much of the songwriting on "Syndestructible" definitely has a strong flavor of 70's prog-rock, with the most obvious points of comparison being early-Yes (first 3 albums), early-Genesis, and maybe even a bit of Pink Floyd. Howeverk, I also noted some occassional nods to more mainstream 60s/70s acts like Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, and Badfinger. The songs here are all melodic, well-structured, and arranged to display the skills of the whole band. Gerard Johnson is certainly a good find, giving some nice "retro" keyboard touches reminicent of Tony Kaye's work with Yes & Badger. Also impressive is Paul Stacey, who provides some blinding melodic runs and solid rhythm guitar. Allthough Squire, as would be expected, turns in plenty of dazzling bass work (as well as his trademark vocal harmonies), he always does so in the context of the song, never sacrificing melody or taking away space from the other players. Stephen Nardelli is a vocalist that, to be fair, may take some Yes/Jon Anderson die-hards a few listens to adjust to. His anaffected mid-range voice sounds like a hybrid of a British bluesman and laid-back coffeehouse folkie. Nardelli may not be the rangiest singer in the prog world, but regardless, I've come to appreciate the character & tone of his voice (Actually, it may be one of the very things that helps gives The Syn an identity that's distinct from Yes or Conspiracy.) I also like Nardelli's spiritual, positive lyrics, with all their playful imagery of angels, cathedrals, peace, and human empathy. Some of my favorite tracks are "Breaking Down Walls" (great acapella vocals!), "Some Time, Some Way" (a memorable chorus and solid harmonies on this one), "Cathedral of Love" (a true classic, with a stunning progressive arrangement, strong melodies, and even some cool electric sitar flavorings!), and "The Promise" (a complex, dramatic 13 minute epic that stands up proudly alongside some of Squire's best 'masterworks'.) All in all, this is definitely one that should not be missed if you are a fan of Squire's, or a fan of the formative days of progressive rock...I look forward to seeing what comes next from The Syn!

I've been trudging across the tundra, mile after mile, trying to find a good modern prog band - I've found lots of great musicians - synth solos by the truckload - but why, oh why do they insist on choosing people as singers that are 'emoting' hysterically, to the point where they sound like 'bad actors' playing the part of a singer? Is it merely because Jon Anderson is such an 'odd' sounding singer (a singer who I think is PERFECT for a band like Yes) that all prog nerd musicians say to each other "Hey! HE/SHE sounds weird! He/she has to be our singer!"? Anyway, here you don't have that problem - the singer on this extremely good album has a very pleasant and non-irritating voice: and he doesn't 'over emote' to try to convince us the lyrics are fantastic! (which would be an error here, because, sadly, as usual for most prog, the lyrics here are pretty lame, but the subdued vocals make the lyrics sound pleasant enough - Lyrics informing us that "we are all members of the human race" and some Christian flavoured lyrics about "making a promise, now keep it" & "cathedrals of love" etc. Which are much more pleasant and unpretentious when compared to all those "I'm an insane loner because I had a bad childhood" type lyrics most modern prog bands come up with.) To my ears he sounds tonally a bit like a love-child fathered by Peter Gabriel and Sting (without the power/technique of those guys.) And sometimes he sings some phrases with higher notes which reach high enough to get near Anderson's low notes and which remind me of Anderson a little bit. What's weird here is hearing that old familiar voice of uncle Chris Squire doing backing vocals all over the place, but not fusing together too easily with the lead singer's voice. (Squire's voice estranged from Anderson's will for Yes nuts feel a bit like seeing your divorced mum/dad kissing your new stepmum/dad for the 1st time.) Anyway, despite all the problems, this really is great music, the melodies are nice, the arrangements are nice, the playing is excellent! And it's so good to only hear light touches of keyboard/synths (playing a nice Bach like line on the last track) - but still intricate and 'there'. (I'm hoping one day YES will make a guitar/bass/drums/vocals only album - it would sound so fresh, Yes?) Buy this, listen to it a few times, it will grow on you. RECOMMENDED!

Recorded in Paul Stacey's Studios 'Strangeways' from March-May to August-September 2005 the album 'Syndestructible' brings the British band 'The Syn' forcefully into the foreground of the 'progressive' world. The group, around Mid-Sixties (before splitting up in 1967), stood out for some short recordings (now collected in the double CD-'Original Syn')and, particularly, for their frequent live concerts, a support band in concerts of extremely popular leading musicians of that time, such as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Who, Pink Floyd.
The only survivors of that far-off line-up, that dates back to forty years ago (1965-67),have been the famous Yes bass player (since 1968)Chris Squire and the solo singer Steve Nardelli.At the guitars replacing Peter Banks, we have Paul Stacey (ex-The Lemmon Trees, Oasis, Finn Brothers),at the keyboards, replacing the late Andrew Pryce-Jackman, Gerard Johnson (Funky Money, St.Etienne, ex-Peter Banks), finally, at the drums, instead Martyn Adelman, we have Paul Stacey's twin brother, Jeremy (ex-The Lemmon Trees, Finn Brothers, Sheryl Crow).
The present album, 'Syndestructible', recorded with the above line-up, stands out brightly, by no means, as a first-class record, really excellent and stylistically impressive:a higly valuable performance, homogeneous and fully coherent, for creativity and melodic originality, as well as for its 'sound', arrengements and technical skills, 'formally' developed in seven tracks, but - actually - in only five recording (and a short introduction), each one about ten minutes long (Breaking Down Walls, intro//Some Time, Some Way+Reach Outro//Cathedral Of Love//City Of Dreams//Golden Age//The Promise//Total Time, 52:39).
In their admirable tenderness and dignity all the compositions of the album (only lacking a bit - perhaps -in energy and strenght)take us back to the seriousness and the complexity of musical research of the Seventies, to the climate and atmosphere of that time, a period exceptionally charged with experimentation, creativity and projectuality; to the forms and the best traditions, in short, of the British 'sympho-prog-rock', particularly the one of 'Yes', 'King Crimson', 'Genesis' and 'UK', and no wonder that Steve Nardelli's beatiful voice, well-modulated and well-exploited (even though not particularly endowed with strenght, width or extension)has made us immediately and pleaseantly think at Boz and Trevor Horn's, on the one hand, and on the other, at Greg Lake's, and, above all, at John Wetton's.
No objections thus, about the other contributions, beside Nardelli (the author of nearly all the lyrics), of the other members of the band in performing and in the making of the album:respectively at the guitars, keyboards and drums, Paul Stacey, Gerard Johnson and Jeremy Stacey are to be appreciated, not only for their background and technical skills, but also for their cleverness, class and taste, while Chris Squire, at the bass guitar, shows once more his extraordinary musical and skillful qualities, by insisting more on subtleties, half-tones, nuances (culminating in the amazing track 'Cathedral Of Love'), than on the strenght and telluric power of his Rickenbeckers (which is, on the whole, by far one of the great London bass player's most persuasive performances).
Strongly recommended. An excellent addition to any progressive music collection. [Translated by Luisa Bertolini]

This by far is the best cd I've heard in a really long time. You just don't hear music like this anymore. The current music scene is utterly BORING!!!! It takes experienced musician like Squire and Nardelli to put together this magnificent masterpiece. Listening to this cd really opens up your eyes and makes you think "Wow this really blows every else out of the water. We need more of these well experienced Rockers to continue to perform and write songs like these. It's sad to think that someday these will be a dying art. All I can say is a true masterpiece, surely to go down in rock history! Buy it and ENJOY IT!!!!!!!

Syndestructible is the suprise of the year. Imagine blending Yes, Genesis, and Pink Floyd but filtering out all the excess. This music is brimming with uplifting melodies and positive energy. I read that bassist Chris Squire always wanted to do a "continuous" album, like the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper." This album has something of that feel, a musical journey that takes you to a new level. It has a quirky, spontaneous, but totally accessible feel. Bravo!

As someone who easily finds themselves on Cloud Nine over little things like Yes playing "The Revealing Science Of God" in concert as recently as only a couple of years ago, there's a great deal to be excited about just in the fact that a band Chris Squire was in before Yes, has put out another album with The (legendary) Fish.

Now, what does it sound like? Is it good? Tongue-in-cheek, this may be the best album the Moody Blues have ever made, if you want something to make any vague comparisons to. Steve Nardelli's sincere and earthy voice does remind me just a bit of Justin Hayward's in spite of Steve's obvious originality, so there's already a warm, kind-of-familiar feeling I get listening to this, and the lyrics and the songwriting are likewise warm, comfortable and cozy.

Being very much a finicky and spoilt Yes "Trooper" at heart who'd probably like nothing better than to hear The Fish trot out the jazzy bass riffs of "Sound Chaser" again, it may be a little hard for me to actually think this album is quite "proggy" enough, but if it really lacks anything in "progressiveness," it more than makes up for it in sheer beauty, no doubt about that. There's probably no true lack of prog rock in this "neo-prog" work, just some subtlety in its delivery in some places that makes for something you can listen to many times and always find something new in the mix, literally -- and hey, that's one of the things that made the Beatles so much fun, right? That subtlety also means the opportunity to hear these master musicians take us to some refreshingly unexpected places (like "Golden Age" -- dang, that's almost a little bit Rolling Stones, isn't it? Didn't see that coming, but I LIKE it!)

As easily as I might have been disappointed with this, there's absolutely no disappointment here, and that probably means it's going to even more accessible and palatable to anyone with less eclectic taste than my own, so dig in. Okay, so maybe it's not quite the long-awaited follow up to Squire's classic "Fish Out Of Water" album (I was hoping, weren't you?), but then again, maybe it isn't really supposed to be (and it really is a very nice next step after the very enjoyable and impressive work Chris has done with Billy Sherwood as Conspiracy). It is the Syn, and it is wonderful, masterful, versatile, thoughtful, and fun. Bravo, guys! Congratulations on a job very well done.

I've given this record a long listen to, and let me tell you, it gets better and better the more I listen to it. The vocals and and musicianship are top notch. Well worth the price I paid for it. If you're a fan of prog rock in general, this record is a must. I highly recommend this recording.

I'll say it right up front - I LOVE this new album by Chris Squire, Steve Nardelli and The Syn. I rate it 5 stars for musicality - progressive yet easily accessible by music lovers of all genres; 5 stars for its positive, uplifting lyrics (all songs were written by Steve, Chris & The Syn); 5 stars for the vocals - Steve Nardelli has an absolutely wonderful warm and expressive voice and Chris Squire's harmony singing is top notch, as always; and 5 stars for its production values - crisp, clean, and no caffeine (thanks, Pal Stacey & Gerard Johnson!). I have been unable to take my advance copy out of my CD changer for days now. This is one album that you will want to listen to again and again and again.

Steve Sikes-Nova
"Newgrass, Prog & More!" Web Radio

This album is simply wonderful. I recommend anyone who loves top class prog rock, particuarly from the classic era of the 70s, to buy this album.
It is as good as anything I've heard in the last 10 years.
I predict this will become a classic, in line with the likes of the best of Floyd or Yes.
I am stunned at the sheer beauty of it, and to think this is their first album after 40 years, it is an amazing achievment.
I congratulate every member of SYN and long for their next offering as soon as possible please!
Wonderful!