Sydney and Melissa

Item: Intricate
Author: Brian A. Smith

Intricate

(2004)

Reviewed by Brian A. Smith

Bandcamp

Label Justice Road ProductionsThe Phantom Tollbooth2004

acoustic folk rock singer-songwriter

Sydney and Melissa share a lot of parallels with the Indigo Girls: both write and sing, both play guitar, and they came together as a duet in college. Their sound is not dissimilar from the Indigo Girls either -- they use a lot of harmony (although both singers are more like Emily Saliers than Amy Ray) and trading off of vocals, but the music is more electrically driven than the aforementioned group.

"In Love With the Day" stands out from most of the other songs, which tend to blend together sonically, seemingly indistinguishable from the others. With a piano background, this song evokes Over the Rhine. "Sony's Song" has a bit of a Tori Amos feel to it.

Sydney and Melissa come across as almost too polished, with very similar tones in their voices, that make it difficult to discern exactly who is doing what. More contrast would make for a better sound. There are some good things here, but nothing that draws me back for another listen, unfortunately.

3 tocks