| The
Review |
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.
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