Xylos – Bedrooms EP Review
Xylos, an unsigned band from New York, has their EP and two demo songs on their myspace readily available for listening. On initial impressions, the weird thing is that I kept listening to their demos more their actually tracks on the EP. While I was unsure about the EP at first, the demos kept my attention and ultimately led me into checking out the EP. Eventually I turned a corner and I must say I’m really digging the EP now.
The band is clearly a young band, flawed but incredibly promising (raw but great nonetheless). You can tell that they don’t have “their sound” quite yet but it’s clear they are capable of making intricate pop songs. I really enjoy the use of female/male duo vocals. In a way it seems underused much like the Pixies’ Kim Deal but it just makes the best songs stand out. My favourite on the EP is “Yellow Flip-Flops”. While not the most creative, they do have a way of sneaking up on you with the variety of instruments and easily pulling off two 6 minute tracks. They really make the 6 minutes seem like a short one and probably wouldn’t notice the length if I weren’t paying attention.
Their talents are clearly displayed on this 5-track EP. Eric Zeiler is a solid writer, the music is solid if not great at times and the vocal melodies are superb (even if I want more female vocals), Zeiler holds more then his own on the vocals. It’s a solid EP that makes you eagerly await a full-length album. The potential is there and hopefully they find more consistency.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Yellow Flip-Flops by Xylos
Testament by Xylos
Tags: EP
