Published on Jun 28, 1999
If you thought combining all the European currencies into the
Euro was something amazing, you obviously haven’t heard Cyclefly
yet.
Imagine it: a band comprised of two brothers from Ireland, a
bassist and drummer from France, and a guitarist from Italy. Sound
like the World Cup of music? It’s real, and Cyclefly’s debut effort
Generation Sap shows that they’re here for the long run.
Mixing pop sensibility with the intensity that was once the
foundation of true alternative music, vocalist Declan O’Shea,
guitarists Ciaran O’Shea and Nono Presta, bassist Christian
Montagne and drummer Jean Michel Cavallo blast through eleven slabs
of raw meat that do a Texas two-step on your spinal column. It’s a
helluva great feeling – and if the band had been able to maintain
that energy level throughout the album, it would have been
unstoppable.
They say that the proof is in the pudding, and in this case,
that is the lead-off single “Supergod”. (If you have the cash,
definitely pick up the four-track single which includes a video of
“Supergod”.) Declan O’Shea could well be the next John Lydon, with
the way he can put his vocals through acrobatics. Ciaran O’Shea and
Presta both know the right time to turn their Les Pauls from gentla
strumming to full-tilt shred. All the while, Montagne and Cavallo
are providing a solid backbeat that keeps the whole song in
line.
Generation Sap is filled with moments like that. The opening
track “Violet High” evokes some memories of Tool with the structure
the rhythm section takes before Declan O’Shea steps up to the
microphone. Likewise, “Better Than You,” “Plastic Coated Man” and
“Crawl Down” all leave you begging for more, cna more often than
not, Cyclefly is there to deliver.
With all these strengths, it’s amazing that only two mistakes
are made throughout the course of
Generation Sap. First, “Whore” is a track that could have
benefitted from the use of the razorblade; it takes a little too
long for the band to make their musical point, and by the time they
do, I found I had lost interest in the track. Second – and this is
by no means a mortal sin, especially for a band’s freshman effort –
they just aren’t able to keep the intensity kicked up for the
length of the album. Songs like “Sump,” “Slaves” and the title
track probably could have been killer, but it almost seems like the
band starts running out of gas at the end. They’re not bad tracks,
but they’re not the same when you compare them to the bulk of the
material on
Generation Sap.
Still, these points are relatively minor, and they all are
things that are correctable. Cyclefly proves often throughout
Generation Sap that they have the way and means to forge a
name for themselves in the world of alternative and rock. Now, all
they need is a fighting chance – which is where you come in. Go
ahead, pick it up… electricity running up and down your spine
rarely feels so good.