SYRINX

Formed by ex-Kensington Market keyboardist John Mills-Cockell, Syrinx were a genuine curiosity. Featuring a bizarre, early-synth driven sound augmented by just saxophone and occasional percussion, this Canadian trio issued just two albums at the dawn the seventies, before a lack of interest, poor record sales and internal strife resulted in their brief demise. Yet it's easy to see why. Despite producing a rather haunting, slow-burning sound on much of this self-titled debut, Syrinx's sound exhibits a studious and overly-earnest quality, making for an interesting but strangely unexciting experience. However, despite the longeurs engineered by Mills-Cockell's lengthy synth runs, there are occasional nuggets to be found on 'Syrinx', especially in one of the album's longer pieces. Called 'Chant For Your Dragon King', this ten-minute piece features one the group's more enchanting melodies emerging from a careful and cautious build-up, rewarding those listeners with the patience to stay with Syrinx's peculiar brand of early electro-rock. Elsewhere, the brooding opener 'Melina's Torch' at least starts proceedings with a dash of percussive drama, whilst the softly-meditative 'Field Hymn' walks a slightly softer path, with a warm and woozy feel perhaps at odds with rest of the album's autumnal edges. A strange experience then, this Canadian oddity burns bright with originality yet proves a rather daunting experience. Interesting, thoughtful music then, but it's not actually fun. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2014