Syclops: I've Got My Eye On You

Label: DFA

New DFA signee’s Syclops intend to take you through an aural history of electronic music. No, seriously, like, on every single song. Early reviews tagged this UK knob-twiddling trio’s sound as primarily electro, but the 10 songs and nearly an hour of bloops, bleeps and beats on I’ve Got My Eye On You cover a much broader spectrum than that. There’s blatant Kraftwerk referencing on the icy and meditative “Naoka’s F”, harsh Detroit-style 808 electro on “Where’s Jason’s K?” and “Mom, The Video Broke” runs the gamut, incorporating Aphex Twin rhythms and even corny 90’s acid-jazz, but in a good way. The success of I’ve Got My Eye On You is the seamlessness with which the band breaks in and out of character, lending rock instrumentation to an obviously knowledgeable electronic sound and creating a schizo brew of sound. The tile track, near the end of the record, offers the album’s summit, as ambient textures and a simple, kraut-rock-inspired drum machine settle the entire surgical procedure we’ve just undergone with a moment to catch our breath. (Fred)