CD Review: Lymbyc Systym - Love Your Abuser

Lymbyc Systym
Love Your Abuser
2007
Mush Records

Buy This Album

I originally discovered the Lymbyc Systym as an opening act for The Album Leaf's Winter '06-'07 tour and I remember being very impressed.  Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, the duo of brothers Michael and Jared Bell managed to create the sound of a much larger band with a number of keyboards, samplers, a laptop, and a drum set.  I'd swear, if you closed your eyes you'd swear there was a guitar player and numerous keyboardists up on stage, but no - it was just the two of them.  Michael's live drumming was incredible and if I didn't know any better I would have suspected Jared had eight arms to play all his keyboards with.  I was so impressed that I ran to the merch table to buy a t-shirt, the "Carved By Glaciers" EP, and their hand-pressed, extremely limited edition live CD.

Months later, the Lymbyc Systym would release their first full length CD, Love Your Abuser, featuring the same mixture of ambient textures, vintage keyboards, live drums, and samples to create a warm, inviting sound that envelopes the listener.  Though there are a few guest appearances on the album, including Jimmy LaValle of The Album Leaf, the whole of the project was written by Jared and Michael and it is indeed every bit as wonderful and relaxing as the EP that preceded it.

The Lymbyc Systym are to The Album Leaf what Earlimart is to Grandaddy - a sort of kindred spirit.  Their sound is similar, yet different, but it's hard to imagine liking one and not the other.  They're a perfect compliment to each other and it's my love for the Leaf that makes it so easy to recommend the Lymbyc Systym. 

Elements of jazz, post-rock, and ambient clash together to create a mellow, relaxing, and beautiful sound that fills the entire album.  The record has a sweeping, almost cinematic sound to it and nearly every song goes through numerous changes.  Being entirely instrumental, this works in the album's favor as it keeps the tracks from feeling too repetitive or relying on a single hook repeated ad nauseam.  The album doesn't sound lo-fi, like you'd expect something recorded in a home studio to sound like, thanks to some excellent production work.

As with any album, there are always stand out tracks.  On Love Your Abuser, the early favorite is "Astrology Days", which changes forms roughly halfway through and incorporates a catchy live trumpet hook.  "Fall Bicycle" begins with a simple programmed drum pattern but quickly evolves into some stellar live drum work by Michael as layers are added on top of a simple keyboard hum.  "Birds", one of my favorite tracks from their live performance, finally sees a studio release and is every bit as mesmerizing as it was in the live environment with its full bodied sound, warm synths, and clavinet.  Lastly, "Truth Skull" features gentle tinkering xylophones, synthesized violins, and what appears to be a muted electric guitar to create an irresistible hook.

Other tracks are far more ambient affairs, such as "Idle Wires" which features very little percussion other than a skittish electronic pattern early on, which is later replaced by some loud live drums, and the album opener, "Rest Easy/Age Kindly", which is little more than a climactic build up of keyboards, bells, and other sounds.  Tracks such as "Pittsburgh Left", which features a vibrant, bubbly bassline, and the title track, "Love Your Abuser", with its electric guitar riffs, fall more squarely into the post-rock category.

The album closes with the stunning "...So We Can Sleep", which clocks in at just under six minutes and runs the gamut through most of the various styles of music found on the rest of the album.  After a quiet intro laden with acoustic guitars, the tempo quickens and live drums and trumpet are incorporated before the song slows down to a beautiful piano-driven lullaby laced with more acoustic guitar and dissolving into synths and keyboards until it gently fades away. 

Love Your Abuser continues and refines the sound that made the "Carved By Glaciers" EP such a pleasure to listen to.  The talents and outstanding musicianship of Jared and Michael Bell are on full display throughout.  Together, the brothers have managed to create a unique sound while still retaining elements of their influences, which include such diverse artists as John Coltrane, The Beatles, Sigur Ros, and Tortoise.  Though it flew under the radar of the general public, as most experimental albums tend to do, Love Your Abuser is one of the best records of 2007.