Ylajali by Syntaks
LABEL: Ghostly International

There's something very gratifying that happens when listening to a piece of music, and your right brain manages to catch up to your left after thirty minutes and inquires, 'what am I listening to, here?'. Danish-duo Syntaks seem to throw too many influences into one pot on Ylajali, but they somehow manage to not only make it work, but they come out with something so distinct, individual and beautiful that it makes you forget about that catalog of genre listings you might keep in the back of your mind.

Certainly, Ylajali possesses a strong soundtrack quality. The record operates within an ocean of disparate artists, from the electronic avant-garde of Vangelis and Tangerine Dream, to atmospheric bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Jesu, and Cocteau Twins. At times they even channel the epic climaxes of the post-rock scene (re: Explosions in the Sky or Isis). The sound of the album is remarkable; dense, atmospheric, while remaining structured and song-like. Melodies are clear but the layers of instruments are almost impossible to pull from each other as they weave about your ears symbiotically. Anna Cecilia's vocals are placed as another instrument, wordless and ambient, adding a haunting quality to the mix.

“It almost sounds like evolution, a welcome occurrence when the contemporary trend is towards (to put it politely) the 'homage'.”

What Syntaks do so well on this album is avoid genre-specific traits. Each movement is far too structured and moves too much to be considered ambient. Processed acoustic and electronic drums are a consistent element against the wall of shimmering celestial resonance. The sparse use of guitars or traditional 'rock' instruments keeps it a far distance from any of the post-rock or shoegaze boundaries, but their mere inclusion (and the consistent use of climaxes) make it an unsure candidate in electronica as well. It almost sounds like evolution, a welcome occurrence when the contemporary trend is towards (to put it politely) the 'homage'.

While remarkable, certain lax, dropout moments make Ylajali fall just shy of a modern classic, but it will be exciting to see what Syntaks achieves in the future. Accompanying Ylajali is a free EP (though in all honesty, it should be called a single), Mistral Moon, containing an alternate mix of the song by the same name that appears on the LP, but isn't too remarkable. The other track, "Sudden Dream," is well worth to have, though, and it's a shame it wasn't included on the full album.


REVIEWED BY NEIL LEVENS
NEIL'S FAVORITE TRACKS: “Love Camp 23” • “Buio Omega” • “The Shapes of Things to Come”


Download the EP, Mistral Moon, here
Preview & purchase album from eMusic (subscribe and get 25 FREE downloads)

Syntaks - "Blue Sunshine" from Ghostly International on Vimeo.