About Sylvia
Forged in Moseley, Birmingham, Sylvia are Daniel Sweeney (lead vocals,
guitar), Russell Collins (drums), Jamie Kendall (guitar) and Phill Ward
(bass). Daniel, Phill and Russell studied music at the University of
Birmingham and formed a band soon after graduating, adding Jamie to the
line-up in early 2011.
In the summer of 2009, Sylvia disembarked to Rathea in Co
Kerry, Ireland to begin recording their debut album. In a converted turf
shed by the coast, the band set to work using what equipment they had
to hand. After a brief diversion to the Green Man Festival, they
returned to Moseley where the recording continued apace. The band began
to experiment with sounds, layering a diverse array of household objects
into the textures of the music, from wine-glasses, to Chinese health
balls.
In the ensuing months, significant headway was made on the
recording, much of it taking place on a farm in Somerset, a stone’s
throw from the Glastonbury Festival site. Locked in isolation, ideas
fermented, the ancient and musically-apt setting providing ample
inspiration. Long days of recording, followed by late night trips to the
Tor, cemented the band's love of the area, and they returned many
times, honing and tweaking their ever growing album. Whilst in the area,
Sylvia became regular performers at the Pilton Working Mens Club,
famously established by Glastonbury Festival founder, Michael Eavis;
himself a witness to the band’s sets on several occasions.
Enthused and driven by these forays into quiet rural
seclusion, the songs became more refined and mature; harmonies became
more intimate, atmospheres more dense and imposing. For the next two
years Sylvia strove to discover a sound befitting their ambition and
vision, and eventually completed the task in December 2011. The band's
debut album ‘Rathea’, is due for release in summer 2012 and will feature
songs written in the spaces between touring, and others nurtured on
many trips and travels.
What Sylvia have created on this journey is a truly
immersive piece of work - in equal parts majestic and yet restrained.
The listener is carried down one unexpected and surprising avenue to the
next, the glorious contrasting powerfully with moments of stillness.
You'll be hard pressed to hear anything as heartbreakingly beautiful as
‘Foals’ all year, with 'Possessed' rendering the listener blissfully
unaware of their surroundings.
Sylvia then jolt us out of reverie and reflection with
tracks 'Hollowstar' and 'It Is Not A Question Of' galloping along
purposefully. Sweeney's voice comes into its own on 'Greyson Chance
Syndrome', swooping and diving over wonderfully nonchalant guitars.
Sylvia have a playful approach to rhythm and chord progression without
alienating the listener, allowing us to wallow in the songs, before
being transported off again. Well established tracks 'Heartlands' and
'Bought What I Paid For' are given a new lease of life, rewarding us
with new perspectives on each listen.
The finished 12-track album is a fantastic achievement,
coming close to 70 minutes in length and - although a fact not reflected
in the sonics - an entirely self-produced and home-recorded piece of
work; the band’s musicianship augmented with the help of a talented
inner-circle of friends.
Sylvia are beguiling natural songwriters and musicians, with
a keen ear for sound and texture and it's this which makes the new
record such an exciting prospect. Those who have seen them live, or know
anything of their dedication to create something inspirational, will be
awaiting this sterling debut with anticipation.