S.Y.P.H. is the self-titled album by Dusseldorf based band S.Y.P.H. whose name was chosen according to founder member Thomas Schwebel because it's a dirty name, they doubled down on that when the other founding member Harry Rag added periods to the bands original name SYPH and started claiming it stood for Saufender Yankee Prugelt Homo (Boozing yankee pummels fag). the other musicians are Ulli Putsch, Uwe Jahnke and Jojo Walter, the album was produced by Carmen who was the owner of Ratinger Hof the legendary Dusseldorf club and studios.
I appear to have been sent two versions of the album with short and long versions of all the songs, this review is a mix of both.
The album opens with the classic Zuruck Zum Beton low-fi insistent punk riffing with shouty vocals, basic and riveting as they can make it.
Industrie-Madchen industrial punk over a steady repetitive beat with angry sounding vocal declamations, that sound more produced than the single version.
Lachleute & Nettmenschen has no wave guitars, with a Gang Of Four style choppy beat, they show how ahead of the game they are in hoping for loads of Nettmenschen that I think we could do with now.
Unreif Fur Die Zunkuft is speedy loose kraut punk buzziness.
Mercedes has kicked Janis out, but kept all her whisky and gin, to go on one misguided alcohol fuelled joyride into Dusseldorf's alternative Autobahns.
Chess Challenger are you the new Bobby Fisher or just another Kasparov Klone, you have the time this takes to sputter out, to show us your opening gambit, it had better be as cool as this sounds.
What Happens is the Waitresses style, No Wave, New wave pop hit, a funky tune, I guess Carmen is singing the droll vocals, about brief love liaisons and What Happens? Once they have ended. How have I not heard this tune before? It should be on loads of new wave comps.
Heute Norm-Morgen Tod is a fast-flowing tale over intensely scratchy guitars to kick your day into gear.
Partir sounds like Dr Mix & The Remix going even more insane as the wall of noise comes tumbling down, walking like Supermen screamed and yelped vocals intensify bewilderment at repurposing Laughner style licks in this sonic miasma.
Kein Ziel needs to be played during every protracted decision caused by VAR before the dreaded No Goal sign is used, it would fox fans for certain as this episodic meandering piece of Krautexperimentalism phazes and signals us into oblivion.
Kisahueli is the bands legendary Krautrock freak out, dentist drill like siren intro, to the psychedelic fried guitar mantra, that rinses repeats, mutates and delights, perfect for passing a large one round the room too.
The album closes with Ohne Viel almost a lost 801 tune, this has such an Eno vibe to it, I almost expect someone to shout Baby's On Fire.
Find out more at https://shop.tapeterecords.com/s.y.p.h.-s.y.p.h.-4213 https://s-y-p-h.bandcamp.com/album/s-y-p-h
