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Years Around The Sun: Inva De Siva Manaloft Records 2008 7.5/10 Influences loom large on this debut LP from San Diego’s Years Around the Sun. While the vocal styling of Dylan Raasch and Ronnie Dudek cannot help but be compared to those from the likes of Pinback and Interpol, this is most certainly a case of flattery as opposed to imitation.

Pinback, Three Mile Pilot and the Shins like sounds heavily influence
the instrumentation of this record, yet after a few minutes the
amalgamation takes on a life of it’s own. If not entirely original,
the synthesis of influences is immediately familiar and comforting.
The musicianship on this album is superb and the dueling melodies by
guitar and bass play off one another allowing Stefanko’s piano to hold
the basis of many songs on the cd. Moore’s drums are solid, intricate
and immediately danceable.

The intertwining vocal melodies and harmonies are executed in a very
Rob Crowe-esque, fashion yet the timbre of each voice brings something
new to the table. It’s as if you’re listening to collaboration between
Pinback and Interpol, which certainly is not at all unwelcome.

The band really comes into it’s own and I think does it’s best work
when working with synths. Songs such as Soft Light Serenade retain the
band’s core influence yet branch out into something uniquely YATS.
This record culminates in the six-minute tome Heart Delay combining
everything interesting on this cd into one instantly catchy song.

This is a fantastic effort by a band that has really captured their
influences and focused them through their own lens to create an
extremely enjoyable hour of music. I’d like to see some artistic
expansion, but I have a feeling they’re well on their way.

-James Griffin