Syn - Matter of Time

What were you listening to in 1993? I know I was listening to whatever was floating around the airwaves of California’s Inland Empire. Tangent: The Inland Empire is no empire unless you’re a meth addict or have an unhealthy appetite for porn. Anyway, odds are I was listening to something from Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Live, Faith No More . . . basically any of the alt rock, grunge, or bizarre metal of the day. I certainly wasn’t listening to Syn’s album, Matter of Time . . . and that’s really a damn shame. This album is shockingly good by all accounts. It has strong songwriting, excellent musicianship, songs that have a perfect balance between ballsy rocker to sweet and sentimental ballad, but the album never gets sappy; catchy tunes that become instantly recognizable, and I have my brother-in-arms, Racer, to thank for turning me on to this gem.

It was one of those fabled Rasputin’s bargain bin dives some years back where we were driven slowly insane by the repetitious clickity-clack of plastic CD cases, cold concrete floors driving joint ache deeper into our bones, and the open hostility of shop keep’s and fellow shoppers due to our senseless banter and idiotic behavior. Hey Racer . . . remember, you double dog dared me to break dance in the aisle! Anyway, at some point in the six hour marathon, he handed me this disc from Syn and told me it was good, give it a listen, try it . . . you’ll like it. So, I did. And, I did and still do. Obviously. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be tippity-tapping on my keyboard to tell you about it. The music on this gem is rock, but it hits the listener from a number of different directions. One minute a little Kentucky fried, a little swampy, but not really full on southern rock, then Syn dips their big toe in the murky waters of grunge/post-grunge, before throwing in huge elements of good ole modern rock vibes.

The first two tracks on this disc are impeccable rock songs, full of hooks, catchy melodies, nuance, rich vocals, and high quality musicianship. “Love On My Side” is simply beautiful and a great way to catch the listeners attention, powered primarily by some slick, though somewhat raw production work, and vocals that have aged for anywhere from seven to ten years in an oak keg somewhere in the back hills of Kentucky. The constant hum of the Hammond organ provides the song with that southern feel, but the song doesn’t come across the same as a Skynyrd or Allman Bros. tune . . . maybe it’s the modern recording of the track that makes it sound more vibrant, I don’t know the reasons, but it’s a solid track. “Love On My Side” initially reminds me of The Wallflowers first album, but that quickly vanishes once the vocals push their way to the front of the mix. The song just has an earthy, organic vibe to the whole thing; it lacks all pretention and just evokes emotion on so many levels.

“Bleed” follows up the lead track in perfect fashion, a heavier dose of straight up rock led by some serious wah’ed out guitars. This track has a bit of that early 90’s Pearl Jam driving rock feel, but the vocals sound like a mixture of the late Michael Hutchins (INXS), especially as he croons his way through the verses, and the quasi-banshee wail of Chris Cornell. The guitar solo is something straight out off of Ten, which isn’t a bad thing, full of dynamic wah pounding action; tapping a bit of that Hendrix vein as the notes bend to unnatural notes. In 1993, this song could easily have been in rotation with any of the “grunge” bands, especially Pearl Jam, as it has that classic rock meets modern aggression thing going on . . . crisp production mixed with the classic rock n’ roll swagger.

“Hey John” is a nice sentimental ode to John Lennon. The song is packed with Beatles references and these guys do a good job of making it an interesting song when it very easily could have come across as sappy and full of gimmick. The vocals on this track come out sounding like a bizarre mixture of Dave Matthews and Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, but they’re effective in conveying the emotion of war and peace and the apathy of society towards the violent world we all live in. Gotta’ say, I love the bass tones and sound the production team got out of the drums! Both instruments sound huge without overwhelming the song, without burying the message of the song or crushing the guitars as they strum out their melodies. Pretty frickin’ cool song!

Matter of Time closes as strongly as the disc opens. “Take It Back” is another ballsy rocker littered with some damned fine guitar work, heavy textural stuff, volume swells, huge waves of chorus and delay . . . simply put, great elements that add flavor to the music. Note the low end work as the bassist strays out of the pocket just enough to keep the listener guessing, adding flourishes of interest as the guitars create ambient sheets of sound. The vocals, as they’ve been throughout the album, are a solid, powerful entity. It kinda’ has that Live sound, especially in the guitars, but also in the way Syn composed the song, grandiose and epic while remaining confined in a five minute piece of music. Album closer, “Matter of Time,” is a piece taken straight from the mind of Page/Plant. The arpeggios plucked from the acoustic six string combined with the vocals give the listener the sense that something big is happening, something epic, and sure enough . . . when the band goes electric and the chorus hits it’s crescendo, it’s like all of those great Zeppelin moments revisited. This song also has me hearing a bit of Doyle Bramhall II, in particular, the Welcome album.

I can’t find a damn thing on Syn other than a few references that they did exist at one time or another, and that they released Matter of Time. Other than that, they seem to be another band that’s been lost to history, another carcass left to rot on the side of the rock n’ roll highway. It’s really too bad too coz’ if this album is any indication of potential future music, then we could have had a nice collection of honest, high quality rock that would have made the 90’s feel like less of a wasteland. Though they constantly remind me of other artists, they never sound so much like anyone else that it sounds like they’re lifting anybody’s schtick. There’s a good combination and balance of old and new sounds mixed within these songs and the album is worth every cent that you spend on it, especially since most of the copies that you find will be in the bargain bins. Matter of Time rocks, it soothes, it’s soulful and high energy and ultimately, a gem of music that was grossly overlooked when other, much less adequate, music engrained itself in our social conscious.  -  Pope JTE

Buy here: Matter Of Time