Zykos were not an emo band—let's get that out of the way. But they are one of my favorites, and this is my blog. More to the point, it's the only blog I have, so there's nowhere else to put them. Besides, I'm attempting to remedy the tragic unavailability of these albums. While Zykos' last release, the Keep It Light EP, can be found on Bandcamp and elsewhere, neither of their two LPs can be digitally purchased or streamed.
Zykos hailed from Austin, Texas, part of the thriving indie rock scene there. It's difficult for me to pick a favorite album of these two. While the second, self-titled LP from 2004 has stronger songwriting overall, 2003's Comedy Horn has my favorite Zykos song, "The Gambler." If you need some songs to listen to while driving through a city at night, "The Gambler" ought to be on that playlist. And while Zykos were never an emo band, album opener "Moviehome" is probably the closest they ever came (admittedly, not particularly close). Still, the second LP has such a solid track list that the sporadic brilliance of the first album can't really compete with that kind of consistency. Bottom line: both are worth your time.
I recently tried to track down their music on Spotify and was amazed at how this band feels lost in the haze of the late aughts. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI know the band is obscure, but I was also surprised that they aren't on streaming anywhere. Hence the blog post, despite the general theme of the blog.
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