Sceneazine.com
DYEL
D
by M. Crumpton
rawing influence from the likes of David Bazzan, Colour Revolt, The Strokes, and Queens
of the Stone Age, Columbia, SC rooted band DYEL
front man Ryan Alexander displays catchy, dark, and introspective songs on the bands self titled debut. “Writing is a random
process”
says
Alexander.
“It
either happens
or it doesn’t.
Usually
(song
writing) starts
with a guitar riff,
then the melody
forms and the
words fall into
place with what
I’m
thinking.
Writing happens
in that place between sleeping
and dreams”. I
first caught wind
of DYEL in the
fall of 2013 and
was immediately impressed by their tight, intense live performance.
Every show of theirs I’ve attended since has seemed to
become even better and tighter, a symptom I believe of
an old saying a former instructor of mine used to say
to motivate me; “practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice
makes permanent.” The impressive live act is the result
of DYEL being a group of hard working musicians dedicated to presenting their audience with the absolute
best product they can with two practices a week and
one gig a week. There was even a time period where
drummer Spencer Boatwright played with a cast on his
foot and worked around it. They are a group of resilient workers with a spirit of “don’t give up” in an age of
quitting.
On their self titled debut consisting of three songs
clocking in around twelve minutes, Alexander chooses
to use repetition of lyrics to close out songs. Lines such
as “I still love you” and “Where were you” are repeated
in an open and honest fashion which succeeds in creating emotion rather than coming off as gimmicky or
forced. By altering the melody of the repeated lyrics, it
feels as though the honesty is enforced and Alexander
has you singing along the first time you hear the song.
The unique style of drumming on the album which was
split by Boatwright and Jordan Stair works sometimes
to emphasize the vocal melody in a quite punchy manner but are never over done. They know when it’s time
to step back, rest, and let the other instruments take the
reigns. It feels very much that every stroke on this album is well intended and placed with purpose. Wheth-
er it’s the rhythm guitar mimicking the drum work, the
atmospheric lead guitar, the vocal melody, or the well
placed single key lead, it is all very cohesive.
The album closer “Preacher” is an honest, open, and
dark chapter right out of Alexanders life. “Preacher is a
subject of digestion” says Alexander. “My fathers father
left him, my father left me and I left my son. I’ve also altered my beliefs
about religion
and
therefore
this song came
about.
When
I was in high
school there was
this church being built. Magically they left the
doors unlocked
and I would go in
there and record
myself
drunk
yelling
and
playing guitar...
when they were
finished
they
locked the doors.
I climb as many
listen you can find their current release atwww.dyelmusic.bandcamp.com.
On DYELs Facebook page, they boldly claim “We
are about to become your favorite new band”. While this
may strike at first as a pretentious statement, I invite you
to give their album a spin and reevaluate your stance
on it. With a strong first effort and two more albums
coming our way very soon, Ryan Alexander may very
well be right.
churches as possible to
get close to the steeples
realizing that that is the
closest I’ll ever get to God,
satisfaction, ‘heaven’, and
understanding. My sons
mother ended up marrying another man and he
called him father...I have
rekindled the relationship
and he has become the
major importance to me.”
DYEL is set to release
their second effort titled
“Did You Ever Love” in
October of this year. Alexander is also releasing a
solo album which he will
also put under the DYEL
moniker, as he is the
only remaining original
member. For more information on these albums,
shows, and all things
DYEL, you can like them
on Facebook, follow them
on Twitter (@dyelryan)
or visit their website at
www.dyelmusic.wordpress.com. To give them a
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