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You could slip some Sybris into a playlist of early-90s shoegazer and 4AD bands and they would fit in pretty well. On this self-titled debut full-length, the guitars range from expansive shoegazer textures to slanted post-punk riffs, and the sound of each song shifts constantly from skeletal to atmospheric to dense and heavy. The ever-changing textures and dynamics give the album an organic flow, and whoever was at the knobs was up to the challenge, knowing when to lay on the echo and when to lay off of it. The band's restlessness lead them to take their most accessible song, the melodic "Breathe Like You're Dancing," into a conclusion of bashy noise. Barely-drinking-age vocalist Angela Mullenhour's raw, unbridled vocals are more than a little reminiscent of Karen O. from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and occasionally of, dare I say it, a young Bono. I like that the lyrics are personal without being obvious, and semi-abstract without being surreal. Even though you can hear the band's influences, they combine them into something that feels original and genuine to me. The only track that sounds glaringly derivative is "Neon," but since the influence there is the Pixies, that's acceptable. This disc isn't quite a full-on stunner, and there's a dud track or two, but I still recommend checking this out—it's got a great sound and an interesting feel and I like the band's instincts. (mike.10.05)
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