Labels: bean records – emuzah – old skool kids – thank you records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
I had thought of Syn*Error as being a highly generic European screamy emo band, but “92” has me reaching for a revised opinion. It’s still screamy, it’s still emo, but man, this is good shit! They start off slowly with a build up but once things get going, they really get going. Towering crescendos of yelled vocals, soaring guitars and a whole lot of flailing, lost somewhere amidst Still Life, Policy of 3 and Embassy. The emo groove is nailed, and it makes me want to rock back and forth on the balls of my feet whilst staring at the ceiling and tapping my chest. What a great ending too, full of sobs and going crazy. Syn*Error are bringing it back in a mighty fine way, I’d be interested to see if they could nail this over the course of an entire LP.
What Price, Wonderland? are on the flipside, and this is, I have to say, their best fucking song yet. I am kind of worried that they will never top this to be honest. “Being Static” is astonishing, an absurdly beautiful, epic twinkler. The guitar and bass sound is absolutely perfect, and Joe talks and shouts as and when necessary. Hey Shipley, emo is not fucking dead, get over it! I love how this song just gently flows, simple but effective, you know that there is something building, and around the half way point they drop out into onimous sounding guitar and shimmering drumming. Everything picks up the pace, but not too hurriedly, gradually speeding up as it hurtles to a wild finale or urgency and the song is on the brink of collapsing under itself. So so good. I am pretty sure at one point Joe goes “I want my pen to become my hair” – it’s the I HAVE NO MAPS of 2008, guys.
What a great split, you will have to look bloody hard for a better emo record this year.