Sylis Ander - Dear Paige
SYLIS ANDER RELEASES DAZZLING ‘DEAR PAIGE’
Portland, Oregon’s indie-pop artist, and multi-instrumentalist Sylis Ander recently released Dear Paige, his first full-length album, a love letter to his remaining hearing, and his new daughter.
Sylis Ander
Born with sensorineural hearing loss, leading to a loss of half of his ability to hear in his late twenties, plus suffering the debilitating effects of tinnitus, Sylis’ hearing loss is cruelly loud. So much so, that participating in conversations became such a chore, and so socially disconcerting, that he actively evaded conversing with others. Still, his hearing continued to wane while his tinnitus grew louder.
This eccentric dichotomy – going deaf while at the same time experiencing piercing tinnitus – inspired him to create a novel type of performance – hosting a concert through headphones. He designed a sound system focusing on fidelity rather than volume. The show was sold-out. Sixty people listened through headphones. Anyone who took the headphones off heard no music.
Encompassing nine-tracks, Dear Paige begins with “G.o.d.,” which opens on gleaming guitars riding a driving rhythm. Sylis’ voice, a high, yummy tenor, imbues the lyrics with warm tones. Vaguely reminiscent of Christopher Cross, it’s a rich, penetrating voice, rife with charismatic expression.
Highlights include “Trippin’,” with its gracefully elegant piano intro, which then flows into sparkling, jangly guitars atop a fat bassline and finessed percussion. When the song takes off, it shimmers with tantalizing recollection, full of devotion and love. It’s a beautiful tune.
“Wonder” features light, glittering guitars, a resonant bassline, and Sylis’ deluxe falsetto gliding over twanging accents.
“Eden” rolls out on swampy bluesy hues supported by a rambling rhythm and down-home in Mississippi feel, and then shifts to a teeter-tottering rhythm conjuring up memories of The Kinks. A braying harmonic fills the tune with oozing drawls, accentuating the boggy savors.
For some reason, “Forecast” recalls The Who, only with more polished textures, whereas “Paint x Number” once again channels Chris Cross until it mousses up. When it does, it exudes faint echoes of the Beach Boys glazed with tasty veneers of iridescent alt-pop.
“Wonder” features light, glittering guitars, a resonant bassline, and Sylis’ deluxe falsetto gliding over twanging accents. There’s more than a dollop of alt-country piquancy flowing through this track, giving it a buoyant mood.
The ultimate track, “Love, Dad,” is poignant and rife with heartfelt memories of what fathers mean to sons.
Gorgeously wrought, chock-full of vibrant colors and alluring melodies, Dear Paige substantiates the enormous talent of Sylis Ander.
