Zykos

Zykos

Mercury, Wednesday, March 12 It was muggy out, and it seemed like every club was bursting at the seams with enthusiastic music lovers, drooping hair, and shiny foreheads. The Mercury, host to local label Post-Parlo's showcase (also featuring Western Keys, Explosions in the Sky, and Knife in the Water), was no exception as this up-and-coming local fivepiece took the stage, flannel shirts and all. Starting off with a moody opener marked by wide-open chords that took their time reaching their destination, Mike Booker's snarly twang accentuated the determined, steady buildup, culminating in a pulsing denouement that elicited vigorous head nodding among the crowd. Over the course of the set, Mike Roeder contributed basslines that played out like a gentle roller coaster, driving the guitar, keyboard, and drums repeatedly over hills that were exhilarating rather than overpowering. Sock-footed drummer Jerod Cykoski focused intently on the task at hand, dancing the group through tunes that started out spare and filled out forcefully. Meanwhile, Booker flirted frequently with a gravelly, Richard Butleresque drawl, bringing the Psychedelic Furs to mind almost immediately. Overall, Zykos offers up a nice, big no-frills, neo-New Wave sound. These kids have a good ear for how everything fits together, from the base ingredients (Cykoski and Roeder's rhythm section) to the icing (Catherine Davis' keys) and everything in between. That being said, Zykos would do well to refine their songwriting, as some songs sounded dangerously similar; in fact, some songs didn't get really interesting until several bars in (although when they do get interesting, the listener is irrevocably hooked). This hinders their ability to keep a listener's attention, a dangerous prospect for the starving artist. Newcomers and interested parties should keep an eye out for the band's forthcoming release, Comedy Horn, out May 6 on Post-Parlo.