If the genre of experimental post-hardcore was a solar system, then its sun would undoubtedly be Will Swan. Swan has been an influential figure in the genre, with several of his former band mates moving on to create successful bands of their own and his own Blue Swan Records label continuing to support and promote other aspiring artists. Sianvar is a manifestation of all of these influences into one band, uniting individuals from Swan’s ecosystem into one supergroup of post-hardcore talent and ‘Stay Lost’ is their first attempt at a full-length album.
When a band consists of genre heavyweights like drummer Joseph Arrington (A Lot Like Birds), Michael Franzino (A Lot Like Birds), guitarist Sergio Medina (Stolas) and vocalist Donovan Melero (Hail the Sun), the minimum you’d expect is superb musicianship and ‘Stay Lost’ certainly delivers in this regard. Throughout the album’s ten tracks, Arrington’s jazz-infused, timing-agnostic rhythms rage on frantically with the intricate sounds of Swan and Medina riffing beneath, creating a wall of sound that’s undeniably impressive.
If you’re familiar with Donovan Melero’s core band, his vocal approach on ‘Stay Lost’ will sound familiar as the melody and phrasing closely resembles Hail the Sun’s latest album, ‘Culture Scars’. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s a shame that Melero hasn’t taken the opportunity to use Sianvar to experiment and try something different.
One man who’s regularly associated with Will Swan and his associates is producer Kris Crummett and he’s noticeable by his absence on this record. Having been responsible for recording every Dance Gavin Dance album to date, as well as A Lot Birds, Hail the Sun and Stolas in the past, he’s developed a knack for balancing Swan’s unique guitar work against frantic drums and punchy vocals. ‘Stay Lost’ suffers from a dominant mix of drums and vocals that overpower the intricate guitars, leaving you straining to make out the detail in Swan and Medina’s performances. Without this additional texture from the guitars there’s little to distinguish songs from one another, particularly in the later stages of the album where songs tend to bleed together as one.
As a musical performance, you won’t find too many records that demonstrate individual skill to this level, but as a band performance ‘Stay Lost’ isn’t cohesive enough to provide synergies. With such impressive records being generated by the members’ respective bands, Sianvar haven’t done enough to distract you from them just yet.
MARK JOHNSON