Uptown Boys Regular - Tyler Burns
May 16, 2008
This debut EP by Tyler Burns is a brief, five track introduction to the new wave singer and electronic composer. Burns manages to imitate his influences like Duran Duran and Depeche Mode yet is unable to make an indelible mark for himself. The album is upbeat and dancey and features the usual electronic accoutrement of new wave synth music: electronic beeps, blips and synthesizer melodies.
The failure is in not just in the imitative nature of the sound but that it a cheap imitation. We can all applaud and enjoy bands like The Bravery and the Shout Out Louds because they make layered and complex music even if it is highly derivative. But here the effort lacks the depth of electronic layering and composition that make those bands so compelling. The amateurish production is the main culprit in what should be considered a demo CD more than anything else. Maybe if Burns had a bigger budget he would have been able to achieve a fuller sound, one that could possibly result in a more sophisticated musical arrangement. It also could help mask Burns’ limited vocal range – his inability to reach vocal heights serves to ground any hope of an emotional transcendence.
There are no peaks on this album only bland monotony. He tries to deviate from new wave by infusing a sort of George Michael pop sexiness, most evident on “Stop The World” with its breathy vocals. He veers off track and in his attempt to add some sexiness shows he hasn’t made up his mind if he wants to make pop or new wave. The former embodies vulnerability and this contrived sexiness seems terribly out of place further confounding the already ill-conceived effort.
By Shaun Flagg
Rating: 
Hi Shaun– Not sure why you felt the need to rip apart this album with such scathing words when nobody’s even heard of it, but hey… I’m sure Tyler will be glad to know his PR campaign money was well-spent.
Came across this review as I was looking for news on artists I’ve worked with (I engineered the album, sorry it sounds low-budget to you).
David Pollock
Hi David
I write my opinions based on my impression of the album. These album reviews are not PR funded advertorials - these are unbiased critiques. Sometimes the opinions can sting but it is my job to be critical and at times brutally honest. Of course the reader and listener is free to make their own determination.
Thanks
Shaun
Well of course I know that album reviews are not paid for. I’m just a bit surprised that you chose to spend your time ripping apart an EP that nobody was going to hear anyway…seems like generally writers aren’t going to waste their time writing a bad review of a record unless at least 5 people are at risk of hearing it.
Also- if the reader is free to make their own determination, why not post a link to a site where the EP can be heard? Let the music fight back a bit :-)
http://www.myspace.com/tylerburnsmusic
Good point. I have embedded audio on some of these reviews and am trying to make that the rule going forward. I definitely see a lot of value in that.
Here is the review of Tapes N Tapes with the one track audio player
http://skopemag.com/2008/05/01/tapes-n-tapes-walk-it-off/
Thanks
S
We don’t pass over the obscure here at Skope. We review the whole spectrum from mainstream to underground; from big budget studio productions to basement recordings. Some of the best stuff is the spirited EPs of breakthrough artists and we are always on the look out for new talent.
Case in point is Voxtrot, their first 3 EPs were fantastically raw, charged with emotion and layered with static fuzz and a DIY low production sound. Then they went and polished up on their LP and lost all that lo-fi charm. The spontaneity of their sound vanished and the result was this contrived and disingenuous effort.
My point is that you can find some of the best music floating in obscurity.