|
Moving Hands Webzine
Clint Carney a.k.a. System Syn is back with a second album,
following the excellent debut "Premeditated". There are so many
stories about second albums; the first album is the hurdle where the
musician has to write songs they've been carrying around for a long
time and then with the second they can start something brand new.
Or, the second album is the real test of a musician, especially if
the first was a hit, since there's pressure both to live up to the
debut, do something new as well as not scare everybody that liked
the first one off. So how did "Postscript" turn out?
Straight off from opening "Burning Out" it's abundantly clear that
System Syn is System Syn, not quite like any other band and the
unique formula of Clint's sound hasn't been lost. As the album
progresses a fair divide develops; tracks that sound as if they
could have been taken from "Premeditated" and songs that take on a
new direction. In the first category I'd put "Into My Veins", "All
the Human Things", "The Saddest Sound Was You" and in the latter
songs such as "Through This" and "Somewhere" that go for a more
dance friendly beat without losing touch with System Syn's sound or
resorting to merely letting the beat carry the song. "Postscript" is
as much a "buy" as "Premeditated" was and once again proves that
there is intelligent and clever progression within the synth genre.
Hard Wired Webzine
System Syn, helmed by Clint Carney, is no stranger to electronic
music. Not only is he a member of Imperative Reaction, but he also
found acclaim for his other band, Fake. However, System Syn remains
his first project, and with Postscript, he has created his best work
to date.
While Imperative Reaction leans toward aggressive industrial rock,
and Fake seems homage to old-school electro, System Syn take
elements of both and wraps them in a twine of futurepop and jaded
EBM. The heavy thump of "Burning Out" leads one into this disc, as
Clint Carney's defiant yet emotive sneer keeps pace with the rhythm.
While melodic, waves of subtle vocal distortion, monk-like choirs,
and alien machine chatter act as a backdrop that keeps the piece
interesting and merely accent its anthemic tune. "I Never Was" is
accented with aggressive snare-heavy percussion and pensive droplets
of synth, but rapid arpeggios accelerate it into a catchy futurepop
chorus. "Somewhere" rides on fuzzy chatter, a steady bass bounce,
and the thrum of subtle chipper synthesisers, while the vocals
capture a daydream in their optimistic tone. The dial of an
unanswered phone chirps above a dismal sea of violins in "The
Saddest Sound You", which compliments this ballad's lyrics as much
as the sluggish clangs, dings, and static-laced rustles provide
contrast. "Through This" utilises odd sounds again (an intro that
sounds like a rat rustling in an air vent), but is rife with an
insistent dance beat, sheet metal snares, a fuzzy answer machine
mantra at its bridge, and rapid warbling synths that lighten the
package. However, it is Carney's harmonic and driven chorus that
truly shines in this sprinting electro piece.
A final introspective moment is found in "If You Never Heal"; static
zippers bristle out from the beat, but the centrepiece here is
Carney's wavering voice and lyrics full of self-doubt. If
comparisons to Ronan Harris of VNV Nation would occur, this would be
the logical example.
One surprising aspect that applies to this band is the fact that
Postscript is their seventh album to date, yet only the second
published by a label. This intense dedication to his work has
finally been compensated, and while his other recent releases have
been excellent, this one surpasses them by a landslide.
virus-mag.com
With “Postscript”, California’s electro cook system syn releases the
second official full-length menu. Like last year’s album,
“Premeditated”, the new effort is a love affair with melodies and
various electronic styles such as f.e. synthpop, electro, and
futuristic pop.
Clint Carney, the jack-of-all-trades behind this work and also known
through his second scope Fake as well as live member in Imperative
Reaction (keyboard, backup vocs), generally follows up on
"Premeditated", but now offer a bigger variety of sounds and details
as well as stronger hooklines throughout.
Well produced by Ted Phelps of Imperative Reaction, the record
effects to be more focused and at the same time grittier regarding
experiments.
You'll find a big bunch of fresh and effervescent tones and
bleeps'n'clonx, be it within dancy pieces like "Existence In
Neutral", "Now" and "Burning Out, midtempo pieces like "Into My
Veins" or thoughtful ballads like "The Saddest Sound Was You".
A song that immediately caught my attention is "Somewhere" cause
this track in an interesting way melts together modern beats and
sounds with a quite charming 80's atmosphere.
Clint's clean and emotional vocals are once more noticeable, they
underline the songs suitably and very well.
This record is a tasty listening experience for everybody into
catchy electronix. Recommendable!
GraveConcernsEzine.com
The new album from System Syn is full of poppy, catchy, sing-along
EBM tunes... “Through This” distinguishes itself from more
run-of-the-mill club tracks with some memorable, purely synthesized
drum sounds, for example, while “Existence In Neutral” and “Now” use
everything from choir samples to vocal layering to add impact to
floor-pounding club tracks. System Syn’s Clint Carney also plays
keyboards with Imperative Reaction, and like that band’s more recent
work, this album is full of driving beats and clean vocal melodies,
but Carney also shows a bit more enthusiasm for gentler pop moments.
“Into My Veins” is more reminiscent of VNV Nation’s recent ballads
than anything else, and “Somewhere,” despite its high-BPM drum
machine, is more wistful than aggressive. “The Saddest Sound Was
You” is the most remarkable track on here, showing Carney’s voice at
its most emotive, delicately riding over lush synthesized strings.
In a weird way, it’s almost reminiscent of some of the gothic torch
songs performed by Rozz Williams just before he died – dark and
postmodern, but wrapped in a certain timeworn delicacy – and it
sounds nothing like the rest of the album. Still, it’s the big dance
numbers that are going to garner most of the attention, and System
Syn’s quite adept at those, too. Carney’s production skills and
attention to fine sonic detail set this album apart from the rest of
the futurepop herd, making for an album that will appeal to DJs and
music fans alike. |
