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Written
by Wendy Owen, posted by blog admin
This
is a release impossible for pop rock or modern rock fans to dislike and has
real commercial potential. The Traknyak brothers, Daniel and Gabriel, are responsible
for all the instrumental and vocal performances on Oculus, Sky Orchid’s first
release, and the songwriting maintain a level of excellence over the course of
its ten songs difficult for even veteran acts to achieve. As songwriters, the
brothers possess a classicist’s sense of structure and Sky Orchid’s songs are
arranged in such a way they function almost as mini movies with great melodic
strengths. Guitar is important to Oculus’ success and it’s no slight to call
Sky Orchid a pop rock outfit in the making because they attack the style with
imagination and passion. Nothing on Oculus is paint by numbers or cookie
cutter, yet it has a rare cohesiveness in any album, let alone a debut.
The
Traknyaks set the bar high with the opener “The River”. A surprising strength,
perhaps, in their arsenal is lyrical content proving to mix the specific and
general with the same tastefulness and impressionist impact imparted by the
music. Gabriel Traknyak is a superb interpreter of the words and, like any
great vocalist can, elevates them to performed poetry. “Sneakers” is one of the
newer songs written for this release and noticeably different than the opener,
but they share the same general tenor and the production consistency. Gabriel
Traknyak has an appealing voice full of raw throated blues, but yet capable of
immense sweetness. “In the Fire (Pt. 1)” elaborates on the expansive feel of “The
River”, yet has more memorable melodic strengths than the first song. Daniel
Traknyak’s drumming is on point and he hits hard without ever allowing the song
to plod and Gabriel Traknyak’s singing gets under the skin of the tune without
ever overshadowing the arrangement.
“Wildfire”
goes in a much different direction than earlier songs with its acoustic sound
and Gabriel Traknyak distinguishes himself with his playing alone. His vocal,
however, is another stellar turn on an album full of them and he tailors his
voice to the sensitivity the song requires. “Lex” is one of the album’s most
balanced songs and the guitar melody sticks in listener’s memory even tighter
than the other excellent work on Oculus. “Breathe Easy” is the oldest track
included on Oculus and comes off as a fun, toying take on reggae that even
references Bob Marley early on, but it has some surprising twists. Guitar takes
over on the last part of the song and Gabriel Traknyak unleashes some wicked
playing. One of the more intense turns on Oculus comes with the song “Yesterday”
and the piano playing is especially effective at conveying the song’s brooding
spirit. Sky Orchid’s Oculus’ ten songs are full of youthful energy, but there’s
sophistication here beyond their years and it’s full of promise for the future.
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