Dan Szyller’s impassioned vocal work and original guitar arrangements seep their way into every track here, making his latest album a unique, compelling listen that will keep giving more and more detail which each run-through. Let’s find out more.
Dan Szyller is a Brazilian born, based in France artist whose early discovery of musical legends such as King Crimson and Pink Floyd helped him locate a huge passion for music within himself, and having spent a long amount of time living in multiple places as an immigrant, his debut album, aptly titled ‘Celestial Immigrant’, which has been produced by Fabien Pilard from the studio, L’Autre Oreille Music Studio, sees him blend his truly rich musical, and personal backgrounds. Dan’s sound is on the fence between eccentricity and conventionality. Eccentric vocal deliveries and quirky guitar nuances beautifully contrast the grounding and familiar beats and bass lines. Head in the clouds, feet firmly on the ground.
The clean chorused guitars of the title track are the very first thing that reach our ears. Then the impassioned vocals kick before the steady, minimalistic rhythm section does. All elements of this melancholic composition smoothly click together, resulting in Szyller’s possible trademark, a conventional sound, that boldly stretches the ends of its possibilities. Proggy atmospheres, chilling guitar tones and an intricate arrangement of multiple, colored guitars, a writhing instrumental that culminates in a modal, inviting outro are all things that make this haunting intro a beautiful step into Dan’s sound. My Road starts with a compelling call to adventure, courtesy of the lyrics, the hearty delivery, and the Mixolydian riff, played on a deliciously overdriven guitar. The washed-out, easy-to-get-lost-in composition creates a hypnotic sound, and along with an intoxicating, attention-grabbing bridge with fantasy-tinged vocals make My Road an unusual foray that’s interesting and enjoyable. Summer Kiss’s nuanced rhythm shift from the twisting verses in 6/8 to the behemoth 4/4 beat of the passionate chorus is purely infectious, masterfully executed, along with the restrained arrangement on the outro, Summer’s Kiss is lush and musical.
The Believer’s present riffs and driving composition, along with more fantasy-tinged lyrics, create a more fleshed-out idea of Dan Szyller’s lyrical intentions. A synthesizer line that repeats as a motif is gorgeous and effortlessly binds the parts of the song together. King’s Hall, as is apparent from the title, fully explores the fantasy setting that Dan has been slowly seeping into the lyrical content up until this point. A sprawling, classic rock-inspired composition, with clean, intricate guitar intro with lush strings, this song features one of the most extensive and fulfilling guitar arrangements throughout the record, with guitars ranging from the sparkly clean to the crazily fuzzed. The alternative time signature on the main riff is extremely well-utilized, sounding natural and effortlessly throws the rhythm off-track, in a keep-them-on-their-toes kind of fashion. Musical, fun, and calculated. Sunday Again, my personal favorite, starts with a very conventional beat, rich, overdriven guitars, one of the more understated vocals on the record, and a driving, optimistic progression. The hauntingly succulent guitars throughout have a magical tone, and the extended instrumental break that occupies much of this song’s later half is a section of intense musicality and talent for arranging, writing with, and playing the guitar. The fitting closer heads back to space, as did the introductory cut. Interstellar (Voyager 1) is almost entirely populated with lush, reverb-laden guitars, distorted and clean, and dense, airy, expansive pads. Intricate guitar work is our haunting farewell.
With multiple space references that recall David Bowie, and slow compositions based around rich guitars and lush pads that summon Pink Floyd to mind, Dan Szyller’s debut album is far more than the sum of its parts. What we have is a talented individual, with a driving passion for what he does, an undeniable talent for most things guitar-related, as well as for mixing, arranging, and a unique artistic vision. Dan Szyller’s debut is strikingly beautiful.
