 |
|
Sciflyer, "Fair Weather Karma"
It used to be that when a band was called shoegazer music it was descriptive enough to illustrate exactly what someone would hear when they put the album on. These days, there are so many bands recording music that passes as shoegazer that it's almost evolved into another genre entirely, and none of it really resembles the original sound. Unfortunately, most of the bands in this genre possess little originality and more than their fair share of mediocrity. Sciflyer, hot off two self-released EPs, prove on their debut that there is still a chance for this kind of music while also displaying everything that's wrong with the psychedelic rock scene.
 
Their formula and ingredients are exactly the same as many other bands: record on vintage equipment with phaser effects and lots of delay, then fade the vocals in the mix so they're almost unintelligible. Voices are only there as a hook, to draw the listener in and make them listen to the music more in an effort to decipher the words. What seems like a good idea doesn't work as a tool to hold interest, though, just as it doesn't work from an aesthetic level. Beyond that, however, Sciflyer is passing fair, with enough of a gift for melody to see some of the tracks through. Here and there are songs that sound like modern surf guitar, where elsewhere there's a heavy Cure or Smiths influence feeding through the bass and vocals. There also seems to be a preoccupation with fire and self-immolation, with two songs having "burn" in the title, and another featuring the lyric "we'll blow ourselves apart." Sadly, the chord structure is repetitive all over the place, with the same old guitar line looping again and again. "Like an Ion" is the worst offender in this area, with no real chorus or verse to speak of, just one part repeated into oblivion. Immediately following it on the album is "Alpha Centauri," easily the best track, but it's too short to make much of a difference. That's just the problem with most of these bands: a lot of the same echoed mess but a few moments of brilliance. If Sciflyer can make a whole record like the two-minute glory of "Alpha Centauri" we might be getting somewhere. Until then, the boredom will continue. 
