OFFICIAL: https://skyorchid.net/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/skyorchidband
Written
by Drew East, posted by blog admin
Kansas
blood brothers Gabriel and Daniel Traknyak have spent years assembling their
debut full-length, Oculus. Though a few of the tunes were composed
during the actual album sessions, others were cultivated over years and years
of playing together with the groovy soul/funk/blues of “Breathe Easy” dating
back the farthest at 7 years of age.
With only two men behind this project they still put out a ton of sound
and make up for the lack of additional instrumentalists by knowing their
musical abilities inside and out; applying them with the passion and prowess of
seasoned industry pros.
Some
of the material is dark and dreamy, other times they indulge in genuinely
uplifting fare and they even break it down acoustic whenever the situation
calls for such tactics. The pushing,
pulling dirge of “The River” starts the record off and it’s overflowing with
electronic-smattered beats, rolling tom drums and a haunting piano hymnal. Gabriel’s guitar doesn’t enter the equation
till the end with some electric riffing but his stellar melody vocals lift this
piece to great heights. “Sneakers”
starts off much of the same way but catapults itself over the introspective
buzz and hum with a midsection alive and riff with hard-edge guitar riffs,
industrial rock’s machine-syncopated madness and a bombastic vocal performance
that really cuts to the meat of the song’s matter. “In the Fire (Part 1)” makes use of
trembling, glimmering clean indie-rock guitars and rollicking drum pulsations
for a tune that plays off much like “The River’s” lighter and brighter younger
brother. There’s enough variation to
separate the two tracks from one another and this one really shines bright with
its melodic and harmonic qualities with numerous counterpoints between the
different instruments. Stripping down to
a smoky acoustic duskiness,
“Wildfire”
harnesses shades of country, folk and blues for one of the most poignantly
unique sounding jams heard on the entire record. The brothers switch things up yet again with
“I’ll Stop the World (Part II)” and its fuzzy, riff-dusted punk grooves and
etherized gothic rock textures. It’s a
super catchy track that’s lively and worth a spirited sing-a-long or
three. “Lex” burns the atmosphere in a
campfire of swirling, ember-lit guitar melodies, surreal keyboards and another
striking vocal performance. “Breathe
Easy” and “Take It All” kick off the dust off some blues and quirky, grooved
out rock and rhythm n’ blues that’s all soul, sweat and swagger. “Yesterday” sends us back to a watery grave
of reverbed and delayed-affected ruminations, while closer “Fortify” remains a
modicum of the same bleak, ambience.
Sky
Orchid really has it going on throughout this record. Oculus
simmers with drippy textures, layered grooves and unpredictable
structures. The material on this album
is varied and dynamic with many unique ideas firing off in every single
direction. Folks that are into the
trippy post-rock of the 80s and experimental 90s groups, though they add many
of their own ingredients to the brew that makes Sky Orchid a sonically unique
proposition that all died in the wool music fans should easily enjoy!