Syntaks Ylajali
While Copenhagen-based bandleader Jakob Skott has been quietly producing music as Syntaks for the better […]
While Copenhagen-based bandleader Jakob Skott has been quietly producing music as Syntaks for the better part of a decade, Ylajali represents an important new step for the project—not only is it the first Syntaks full-length on Ghostly, it’s also the band’s first album as a duo, as one-time guest vocalist Anna Cecilia has officially joined the group. Her addition is certainly welcome, adding some human warmth to the fuzzy drone of Skott’s Boards-of-Canada-meets-Cocteau-Twins soundscapes. Album opener “Twentytwohundred” and the distortion-bathed “She Moves in Colors” are two melodic gems and most of the album operates in similar sonic territory, albeit with significantly sleepier results. Yet although Ylajali may leave some listeners reaching for their pillows, at least the dreams it inspires will be sweet ones.