The line-up of D.C. instrumental group Sansyou has changed over the last few years, with the band now a two-piece. However, the sound of Sansyou is still centered around the guitar-playing of David Nicholas. And while Eyes Front is the first release from the band in nearly five years, it's familiar in the right ways, with indications of new directions and new sounds to be pursued.
Eyes Front finds Nicholas and John Mark King (drums, percussion, treatments) offering up three new songs and remixes of the same three songs. As always, the tones and moods Nicholas manages to conjure up are what anchor this, and what provide the real sparks here. The title cut is lyrical, the hooks rippling out like the riffs in a Britpop song. Nicholas manages to find a remarkably warm sound from his guitar, with the spry playing doing the lifting that vocals would for other bands. "We Venture into Shadows" illustrates that idea even better, with the percussive elements here helping the tune achieve a real catchiness that most instrumental music doesn't have. Closer "One Door Opens" is my favorite cut here, Nicholas' guitar-work reminding me of Eighties-era Vini Reilly from Durutti Column at times. David is sometimes interested in working up to bigger sonic gestures, but the focus and tone are similar. The three remixes on Eyes Front subtly re-work the pieces of the three cuts in ways that reveal new shades of meaning, though none is so radical as to be an unwanted new version.
More details on Eyes Front and Sansyou via the link below and at the Facebook page.
[Photo: Glenn Griffith, 2016]