Many bands start out great but then lose momentum. A few others take their time to mature, like Cyclorama, which began in 2007 (the year of their first release) as a solo project by Sébastien G. Laas. At first the music was mostly electronic, but soon he added a little guitar, then a lot of guitar and even found a live drummer in Pit Reyland. If I count correctly, Kill The Myth is their fifth longplayer, coming six years after its predecessor, although throughout the years there have been a couple of EPs and remix records.

The big news on Kill The Myth is that Sébastien has discovered the vocals for himself. The songs consequently feel more accessible. He may not be the greatest singer there ever was, but he knows how to mix his dreamy, ethereal vocals into the mix which doesn’t sound as guitar driven anymore as on the last two albums. Instead, the shoegaze part is more emphasised, the bass guitar is laying down the rhythm, and the guitar is incredibly pulled through a ton of effects. Furthermore, some synth parts hidden here and there make the whole thing even more suspenseful. Pit’s drums are drumming a no-nonsense beat behind it all, grounding it all in a pleasant sound reminding me a little of My Bloody Valentine and eighties Sonic Youth.

The vinyl record’s side A is bookended by a short intro and outro, with moderately long songs in between. Lion In Your Room is an unexpected opener, very chill with the right atmosphere for the coming hot summer days. It feels like being in the middle of a dream, with Sébastien’s vocals floating eerily over the music. Kid Satellite is a more upbeat track, an ideal candidate for a radio single, if most radio stations didn’t suck so bad and played good music. The bass line reminds me somewhat of Sonic Youth’s Teenage Riot, but that is possibly just a coincidence. I Hear Colors feels less like a song and more like an interlude, and is even dreamier than what preceded. At first it feels strange, and then it still feels strange, but a good strange that underlines how unique the sound of this album is. Dilemma At Symmetric Dusk is another more rhythmic track with a cyberpunk flair that is a good conclusion to the album’s first half.

The B-side consists of one single track: Sleep Underneath is a twenty-minute behemoth that has actual melodies and a lot of jamming around, but again done with such competence that the song never overstays its welcome, except maybe for the last two minutes of fadeout where the guys give the impression that the song really had to cross the twenty-minute mark. Apart from that, it’s a wonderful psychedelic track that should appeal to fans of Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized. The digital version on Bandcamp comes with the bonus track We Hate Jazz, a song that would have fitted on the A-side, but is maybe a little more monotonous and therefore better suited as a surprise at the end.

Cyclorama have really done it this time. Their previous albums were always very good and fun to listen to, but with Kill The Myth, they have created an album that really stands out. In times where more and more bands decide to shed all risk taking and write short pop songs, Cyclorama have opted for a different approach: the songs are expansive, at times even approaching self-indulgence, but done with such utter confidence that will leave you speechless. Great stuff indeed!

8 songs

47:58 minutes

***** ****

Genre: psychedelic shoegaze

(self-released)

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