REVIEW: Syn, Matter of Time (Clear View Records)
- Bob Gajarsky
Los Angeles based artist Syn has just released his debut album, Matter of Time. With a combination of lyrics and guitar-heavy, 60's styled music, he has carved a place alongside recent artist like Lenny Kravitz and Terence Trent D'Arby.
As a youth raised to interracial parents in England, Syn grew up with a childhood of alienation and prejudice. That bigotry and isolation, which continued in America, helped pave the way for Syn's lyrics. "I may have written these songs in a matter of hours", Syn muses, "but I've lived them all my life." The track "Suicide" shows his distrust of God. "As Jesus he knew Judas / I've come to know my pain / As each other's only / But only as a game...Feels like suicide / So you believe in a Kingdom Come / It dulls your fear of the funeral drum".
The initial comparison for Syn's music is Trent D'arby's recent material; although true, that's just one of many artists who he can be compared to. Peter Gabriel is another, the track "Bleed" features a Hendrix-like guitar lick, and at times resembles the Beatles "Dear Prudence". This Beatles influence comes through on the Lennon-tribute track, "Hey John", with the lyrics "Hey John / Some kind of fool were you / For ever thinking / Love was cool. / Hey John / Are there strawberry fields / there where you're going to?
If the release is not available at your local store, you can write Clear View at 550 S. Hill Street, Suite 551, Los Angeles, CA 90013 for more information on how to obtain this album.
