TYKETTO
Reach
Frontiers (2016)
Rating: 9/10
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The timeless Tyketto are back once again with another album of bright ideas and big tunes; Reach being the fifth studio album from this creative New York City troop.
Time has certainly flown since the band’s fantastic 1991 debut Don’t Come Easy which, for all of its passion and flair, was simply swallowed up a year later by the grunge trend. But vocalist Danny Vaughn and company have sporadically littered the last few decades with a handful of astonishing recordings; the last being 2012’s Dig In Deep. And now, four years later the crew is back with another 12 (13, if you’ve heard bonus track ‘Precious Little Gets Away’) incredible ear worms sure to have you humming along like it’s summer once again.
Kicking off with the bright and breezy title track, Tyketto does what many can’t do and that’s provide effortless songs of hope and dreams laced with Vaughn’s distinctive flighty tones which soar enigmatically upon the fluid guitar tones of Chris Green. As expected with this return, Tyketto stir up another unproblematic anthem consisting of crisp, sturdy bass-lines, magical drum rolls and simplistic yet memorable keyboards. This is classic hard rock delivered with such astute subtlety; always inventive, always harmless and occasional flirtatious with the realms of metal, but only via Green’s fizzing solos and scant crunches.
And that pretty much sums up the glory to behold that is Tyketto; a band livened by their unforced ability to manufacture big, glistening orbs of powerful rock that are never out of time.
‘Big Money’ saunters in with a sexy riff and nodding bass; “There’s a world that’s up for auction” croons Vaughn, “make your peace prepare for war. There are governments and monuments, what are you hungry for?” The lyric is hard but Danny’s tones never are. Instead, he applies his demonstrations in such a sweet, calm fashion. But as we are led into the chorus we’re transported to an almost late-80s pomp – although Tyketto were just way too sensible and clever to churn out fluffy hair metal. With ‘Big Money’ we get another bombastic anthem featuring politically aware lyrics and an unexpected chorus that just shines like a beacon; all given extra swagger and weight by that sassy guitar lick and Michael Clayton’s effective drum kick. In fact, ‘Big Money’ is my favourite track on the opus, providing both softer tones along with the rockier outcrops. But in either guise it’s so damn gorgeous.
And this is the magic that flows through Tyketto’s veins, and it never relents. ‘Kick Like A Mule’ is a far heavier composition that comes charging in with a trundling drum / bass tandem before a rip-roaring guitar attack and Vaughn’s rising vocal flair. “Will you love me or will you be cruel?” asks Danny, as the posse gallops into another verse that matches a fluid melody with hardier rage.
Elsewhere, we’re served up the superb ‘I Need It Now’, which begins with a Faith No More-like bass thud before setting off on another enlightened adventure of optimistic guitar tones and sturdy drum nods. “I’ve got to bring home the bacon” barks Vaughn, and he’s been doing a great job at it as once again we begin to trickle towards another anthemic chorus bolstered by that ever-present Clayton judder.
Other pick of the pops are the emotional acoustic swoons of ‘Letting Go’, the cool nods of ‘Tearing Down the Sky’, and the tear-jerking strains of ‘Scream’ with its reflective piano thread and Vaughn’s emotional and contemplative words. The latter is Tyketto at its finest; hardly metal but with a hint of strings the track builds into a wondrous chorus where Vaughn erupts into “If I could scream any louder then I would”, and one can feel his pleas, all the while that constant drum nod flows into the heart of those soaring guitar chords. In a sense there’s an element of mid-90s Slaughter, but what a track the boys have come up with.
‘The Run’ flows similarly; another acoustic affair that builds beautifully again – Tyketto always rising to the occasion with a set of sweet, infectious melodies that are nothing short of joyous. And those who’ve experienced the bonus track, ‘Precious Little Gets Away’, may surely revel in the David Bowie-esque strut, particularly in Vaughn’s tones, until the band launch into a fiery attack of racing guitars.
Of course, by now we know what Tyketto have become masters of, but it’s the way they continue to produce such remarkable songs and albums that truly astonish. And once again Vaughn and company have served up an enigmatic foray into hard rock territory, which once again proves that they remain the most criminally underrated act on the planet with an effortless capability to manifest timeless songs that garner the attention of the world.
Neil Arnold
