Tag: The Vryll Society Sacred Flight

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting this site over the past two years, you’ve likely become familiar with the  Liverpool-based shoegaze quintet The Vryll Society, and as you may recall the quintet, comprised of Michael Ellis, Ryan Ellis, Lewis McGuinness, Lloyd Shearer, and Benjamin Robinson have received attention both on this site and across the blogosphere for a contemporary take on shoegaze that draws from a diverse and eclectic array of influences — including Funkadelic, Aphrodite’s Child ,krautrock, and others.

Earlier this year, I wrote about “Sacred Flight,” a single that further cemented their growing national and international profile for crafting an enveloping, pedal effected guitar-based sound with soaring hooks and a propulsive, motorik groove; however, the single revealed that the band had been experimenting and expanding upon their sound as there was an increasing emphasis on synths. Personally speaking, the song managed to remind me of my own travels this year — in particular, being in The Netherlands, and how being “a man from far away” was both liberating and profoundly strange. The band’s second single of the year, and second single off their highly-anticipated full-leghth debut, “Shadow Of A Wave” continuee along a similar vein, complete with their signature rousing hooks but with decidedly krautrock/motorik-like groove. And interestingly enough, the song may be the most achingly lovelorn and earnest song they’ve released to date.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Michael Ellis, Ryan Ellis, Lewis McGuinness, Lloyd Shearer, and Benjamin Robinson, the members of Liverpool-based shoegaze quintet The Vryll Society have received attention both here and elsewhere across the blogosphere for a sound that draws from a diverse array of influences including  Funkadelic, Aphrodite’s Child, krautrock and classic shoegaze.

The Liverpool shoegazers’ latest single “Sacred Flight” will further cement their growing reputation for crafting shoegaze with rousingly anthemic hooks, an enveloping sound and slick yet subtly modern production techniques  as the song possesses a shimmering, cosmic glow, some trippy pedal effected guitar work , a propulsive, motorik groove and a soaring, rousingly anthemic hook. And while being a bit of an expansion of the sound that first captured the attention of this site and elsewhere across the blogosphere, the song evokes the sense of freedom, possibility and discovery that can only come from traveling someplace new and far from home. Certainly, as I’ve listened to this song a number of times before writing, I couldn’t help but think of my own recent travels to The Netherlands — and how being more than 3,600 miles from home or from anyone who knows you is a both a liberating and profoundly strange feeling.

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