Music / Reviews
Review: Syd Arthur, Exchange
Reading the comments below YouTube videos, or indeed anywhere online, is generally a depressing means of charting the collective global IQ as it plummets inexorably towards single figures. But beneath Syd Arthur’s promo for Autograph, someone has posted: “This is totally stroking my Prog boner”. Despite conjuring up a somewhat alarming and unwanted mental image, you can see what he’s getting at. One of the standout tracks from the Sound Mirror album on – nostalgia alert! – Harvest Records, this is quintessential Syd. Carefully positioned early in their set, its manifold charms swiftly entrance the packed audience. There’s that crisp danceable intro, Liam Magill’s distinctive dreamy vocals, the strong pop hook, blissed-out bridge, and an effortlessly complex but never show-offy proggy middle section – all packed into four short minutes. Indeed, if they hadn’t already written Ode to the Summer, one might describe it as a perfect summer anthem.
It’s hard for us old-timers to enjoy the Syds without making references back to the Canterbury Scene likes of Caravan, Soft Machine and Hatfield and the North. And whenever Raven Bush (yes, he’s her nephew) plays that staccato violin intro to Edge of the Earth, this reviewer can’t help but be reminded of that most fearsomely talented of ’70s prog pioneers, Gentle Giant. Most of their younger audience neither know nor care about such comparisons, simply delighting in a collective of accomplished musicians who produce such joyful music without being afraid of quirky time signatures.
is needed now More than ever
Plenty of promising new material is unveiled tonight, including the spacey Evolution and jazzy Coal Mine, which suggest further organic development of their signature sound. But there is one subtle shift in the band dynamic. With Fred Rother continuing to suffer from tinnitus, a third Magill brother, Josh, sits in on drums alongside his siblings Joel (bass, corduroys) and Liam (vocals/guitar, still rockin’ the Ray Davies 1971 haircut). He’s a more muscular player than the gentle Rother, which gives the band a slightly harder edge. Not better or worse – just a little different. Having finally moved on from their annual Louisiana gig, Syd Arthur are clearly going places. They’re just doing so in the own time and on their own terms.
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