Cryptacize - Mythomania
"Cryptacize deals in the unforgettable melody, the forsaken chord and the extravagant sentiment. It's a distinct kind of pleasure they offer, not casual
background or 'lifestyle' music. An unlikely synthesis of musical styles, Mythomania (Cryptacize's second) is an album not quite like any other. Nedelle
Torrisi's surefooted and richly nuanced vocal arabesques, like a modern day Freddie Mercury or Ronnie Spector, strangely complement Chris Cohen's guitar,
maniacally sped-up a la Les Paul or staccato and funny like Roy Smeck or Adolph Jacobs of the Coasters. Michael Carreira's syncopated drum corps rudiments
and pit-orchestra rave-ups propel the songs with a refreshingly buoyant touch that never lapses into rock music cliches. There are also widescreen cinematic
moments that take on a mournful and otherworldly pathos, like Henry Mancini's "Experiment in Terror" but with vocals by Cambodian 60's pop legend Ros Serey
Sothea - or like Arabic diva Fairouz singing along to a psychedelic film score by Popol Vuh.
Mythomania is a revelation by anyone's measure. The playing shows a new level of confidence and intent, as well as an artful sense of timing - it's the
sound of a band that's found themselves and is growing by leaps and bounds. Patiently built ideas are brought to full fruition, and it's recorded in fidelity
that surrounds you. The music is thicker and more continuous; in addition to autoharp, guitars and drums there are now electric basses, keyboards, piano,
even found or purely electronic sounds. And yet the same sense of space and suspense which guided 2008's Dig That Treasure is instantly recognizable on
Mythomania. In fact, the contrast between emptiness and fullness seems even greater now, just as the music's emotional highs and lows have been brought
into abnormally high relief.
As the title Mythomania suggests, reality is transformed when fiction is created upon fiction and though it may be barely recognizable or compatible with
the world of the everyday, this reality can also be beautiful - see for example the album's title track, an allegorical tale about the moon's view of earthly
folly. Exploring the paradox of human perception, a personal ambivalence about time and change, the notions of chance and free will versus those of eternalism
and fate, the limits of credibility and belief, Mythomania builds upon the philosophical concerns of Dig That Treasure. Like its predecessor, its tone
is often both happy and sad, pragmatic and mystical, hopeful and doomed.
Never ones to follow the rules, Cryptacize have been touring the US in a Toyota Corolla (opening for bands as diverse as Why?, Danielson, Shearwater, Ponytail,
Magik Markers, Marnie Stern, The Blow, Mirah, etc.) performing using miniature amps and drums - a sight which has caught many a spectator off guard. They
are a thoroughly unconventional band, but one that is somehow miraculously easy on the ears. Deceptively simple, using modest means to achieve ambitious
ends, never predictable, Cryptacize challenges preconceptions about how a song should go or how rock music should make you feel. But in the end, they always
leave you with a tune you can hum and lyrics that tell a story."
That's the second time in the last few weeks I've seen Fairouz name-checked in describing an album or artist. And I can actually hear the resemblance in the first track.
