This band should be huge (Generation Sap - Cyclefly)

Name: a-true-ben

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Product:	Generation Sap - Cyclefly
Date:	05/12/01 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great diversity of sounds, all well-executed, powerful debut record (and they can cut it live too)

Disadvantages: Could've been a bit longer. And they probably won't be as big as they deserve

I don’t expect many of you to have heard of Cyclefly, a part Irish, part French and part Italian five piece, but on the evidence of their 1999 debut ‘Generation Sap’ (and fantastic live show) they should be stars of the alt-rock scene. Comparisons are difficult to draw, the most obvious is probably Placebo, and maybe a little Mechanical Animals-era Marilyn Manson, but the diverse sound on offer defies easy categorisation.

Opener ‘Violet High’ never really gets going as a ‘rocker’, but is still an immensely catchy way to start the album, despite the slightly worrying lyrics (“You’re passing needles through me/ My bloody referee”). After a couple of listens, ‘Crawl Down’ is probably the highlight of the album, and the closest there is to ‘typical Cyclefly’ – it’s one that takes a while to grow on you, but its swirling guitars are infectious.

Perhaps what really makes or breaks Cyclefly is Declan O’Shea’s almost unique voice. You have to either love or hate the crazy frontman, whose onstage acrobatics and high-pitched voice are reminiscent of Brian Molko and Iggy Pop. His vocal gymnastics are adequately supported, however, by the rest of the band. Although they have a fairly traditional line up (two guitarists, bass, drums), their sound always seems somehow ‘synthetic’ to me – more like the synth-heavy sounds of Depeche Mode, Marilyn Manson (circa Mechanical Animals again) or ‘Host’-era Paradise Lost.

When Cyclefly want to rock, they can really do the ‘heavy stompers’, such as the mosh-friendly ‘Supergod’ and the loud-soft ‘Better Than You’. Every review I’ve read of this album, however, has picked different stand out tracks and weak links, such is the diversity on offer. The louder numbers are offset by slower ballads, such as ‘Whore’ with it’s ha
unting lament “Would you be my whore?/ If I could make you smile”.

Admittedly, towards the end of the album some of these slower songs, such as ‘Sump’ and ‘Slaves’, seem less inspired, almost ‘Cyclefly-by-numbers’, but even these reward repeated listenings.

Overall, this is a very impressive debut, with not a single really bad track. At 11 tracks, or just 40 minutes, it could have been longer – particularly because they do have more good songs (b-sides ‘Sellotape’ and ‘Panic’ really should be on the album, as they’re both in the live show). That apart, everything suggests this band should be huge – particularly as they’ve already overshadowed Bush whilst acting as tour support, played in the USA (with Live) and roped in Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington to guest on their forthcoming second album. Just remember where you heard it first...

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