September 17th, 2013 
Em 
Artist: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Album: Fly By Wire
Genre: Indie, Pop
Label: Polyvinyl Records
Earlier this year, Springfield, Missouri’s Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin got the opportunity to cash in on their goofy, overly-long name when they were invited to headline The Yeltsin Foundation-sponsored Old New Rock Festival. The trio – guitarist Will Knauer, vocalist/guitarist/drummer Philip Dickey and bassist/drummer/engineer Jonathan James – were not only the first American band to play the Russian festival, but were also named official cultural ambassadors for the day, an honor that entitled them to dinner with the country’s US consulate (and lots of vodka).
SSLYBY had always joked that if they ever met Yeltsin they would have to break up, and since Russia’s first president passed away in 2007, this was likely the closest they’d ever get. But Knauer, Dickey and James didn’t take it as a sign of the end. Instead, the trio retreated to the attic of Knauer’s parents’ house to begin working on a new album.
The resulting record, Fly By Wire, is vintage SSLYBY. This latest effort is a far cry from 2010’s hooky, drum-driven Let It Sway, and fans of the band’s more pop-heavy sound may be disappointed to hear that few songs on the album are as danceable as “Critical Drain” or “Sink/Let it Sway.” Eschewing a high-tech studio for the cluttered loft where they recorded their first full-length in 2004 was a bold move for a group that’s been frequently and favorably compared to glossy bands like Phoenix and Tokyo Police Club, but it gave this latest record a warm, retro sound that’s a welcome departure from their last two records.
The lo-fi recording process isn’t the only thing lending SSLYBY’s latest effort a sepia-toned feel, as the lyrical themes running throughout the record are also colored with nostalgia. “Nightwater Girlfriend,” with its distorted guitars and decidedly ’80s bridge (complete with falsetto), is a summery ode to teenage love, and “Lucky Young” punctuates the question, “Don’t you know that you’re lucky young?” with carefree “oohs” and “bah-bah-bahs” that invite the listener to sing along. In turns melancholy and joyful, these reminiscences are accompanied by lofty guitars and plucky piano that keep the tracks feeling fun despite their laid-back mood.
It’s clear that SSLYBY felt at home recording in the attic that birthed Broom. The album’s soothing, fuzzed-out vocals and spacey melodies wrap around the ears like a warm blanket, but on some tracks the trio almost seems intent on lulling listeners to sleep. “Ms. Dot” and “Loretta” both meander right up to the line between comfortable and boring, and title track “Fly by Wire,” the album’s last as well as its longest, is pretty but hardly memorable. On an album with only 10 songs, these slight misses are impossible to ignore. Still, while SSLYBY are more reserved on their latest effort, the heartfelt love songs that make up the album are dreamy and enjoyable enough to warrant a listen.
Score: 7/10
Review by: Emily Cassel (@emcHAMMERRR)
Buy Fly By Wire here
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- REVIEW: Dr. Dog – ‘B Room’ - October 1, 2013
- REVIEW: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – ‘Fly By Wire’ - September 17, 2013
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