Modern music is driven by lyrics, but two brothers from Tempe, Ariz., elect to let their instrumentation calmly catch a listener’s attention, rather than directly address them with words. The brothers, Jared and Michael Bell, formed Lymbyc Systym in 2001 and have released one full-length album and two EPs, including a split effort with post-rock virtuosos This Will Destroy You.
Lymbyc Systym have toured with The Books, Her Space Holiday and Broken Social Scene, and being in the presence of such talent has only benefited their sound. Shutter Release is their newest full-length, and the band is already streaming one of the new tracks, “Ghost Clock,” on their MySpace. It’s as amazing as anything from their debut EP, Carved by Glaciers, and the track whets the appetite for more.
The album is 10 tracks long and clocks in at just shy of 40 minutes. This is an unfortunate aspect of the ambient/instrumental/post-rock gamut of sound, because bands don’t rely on lyrics to cover up repetition (I’m looking at you, punk rockers). Rather, they must approach each segment of song with careful deliberation to be sure it doesn’t sound like a muck of the same beats, sound effects and progression.
Each of the tracks on Shutter Release affects a different tingly feeling, as though the music flows from the eardrums into the veins and throughout the body. The variety of sweeping, astral sounds blended with quick, catchy swings makes this a fine effort, and the music evokes a very pensive mood. Your limbic system (tee-hee!) will be delightfully relaxed and massaged by this album’s dulcet tones.
Whether or not you’re a fan of instrumental music, there is an undeniably sonic and aurally captivating quality to Lymbyc’s sound. Sure, it’s not a fitting soundtrack to, say, a sporting event or passionate making out on the beach, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better duo to score a lazy drive through the country or a walk through any given Portland neighborhood.
No word yet on when the brothers will tour again, let alone if they’ll make it to our fair city. For now, Shutter Release is a solid purchase for both veteran ambient fans and newcomers to lyric-free music.
Lymbyc Systym
Shutter Release
Mush Records
4.5 stars out of 5
Out today