Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears
(Old Flame Records)
Whoa. How to explain this cocktail au musica? Let's see, add a generous serving of Rocky Horror Picture Show's high octane track, "The Timewarp," with early elements of Elton John (ya know, during his weird glasses, feather boa days) and Scissor Sisters' knack for kitschy ‘70s pop and you'd have Bryan Scary's Mad Valentines. Now, if these elements tickle your palate and sounds like something you'd totally dig... then cease reading this review. You may greatly disagree with the words you are about to read.
To gain perspective, I listened to bits of Bryan Scary's second album, Flight of the Knife, and enjoyed the album. In addition to Elton, other ‘70s influences can be heard; Bowie and Queen for instance. Reveling in great company, right? However, for this EP, the music is more spastic; though it is a controlled erraticism, it is spastic nonetheless. And it was this factor that made Valentines maddening. Gone are the laid back, catchy riffs of Knife with tracks like "The Zero Light," or the bluesy, rockified numbers like "Mama Waits." Here, they turned up the volume and remained at that plateau. Give Mad Valentines a listen, be your own critic, and live long and prosper. It is "out there," it is quirky and it is kinetic. That is Bryan Scary.
Standout Tracks: "Bye Bye Babylon" APRIL S. ENGRAM
