Black Leather Birds – Of Children And Their Sorceries

Black Leather Birds – Of Children And Their Sorceries – EP Review

“I cast this into the void.  Let it mean that I was here.”

I absolutely loved reading that.  What an introduction to a record before we even push play!

If you’ve been following along with our pages this year, you’ll remember a review on Black Leather Birds and the single “Nothing Ever Grows Here” from back in April…but by all means, if you need a refresher or you haven’t read my thoughts on this song yet, click here to get your fill!  Here’s what I can tell you that I didn’t in the initial review…after you hear the full set of songs on Of Children And Their Sorceries, you’ll appreciate how tough it would have been to pick a single to release in advance, because every song on this EP is about to amaze you.  Is “Nothing Ever Grows Here” the choice of all choices to have made as the gateway in?  It could have been ANY of the five tracks on the EP, because they’re ALL that incredible, full stop.  That being said, getting the opportunity to spend more time with “Nothing Ever Grows Here” as I listened to this stellar set-list of songs from Black Leather Birds, was a serious treat.  I still think this is one of the more impressive husband/wife combinations that I’ve heard to-date – Mica tries to steal the show here, but A.G. manages to hold his own.  I kid, I kid – they’re both great behind the mic here, and behind the scenes in general…in fact, every Syjuco I’ve ever crossed paths with has proven they’re a wonderful family of people, with artistic and visionary talent found within all of their respective crafts.  Anyhow…we can talk about all the reasons I love them later on…right now, I’m here to tell ya that “Nothing Ever Grows Here” is a compelling start to this lineup of songs, and its ever-curious vocals, poetic & observational lyricism, and spectacularly versatile sound creates a great first impression.

While it’s definitely fair to say that I SHOULD by all accounts, be expecting to hear things I’ve never heard before in the music of Black Leather Birds, knowing that doesn’t make anything less surprising when you come across a cut like “Monster.”  This is freakin’ magnificent!  So different than the vast majority of things you’ll hear out there in the music scene, with perhaps the exceptions of artists that prioritize their vocals and art together, like Mike Patton and Tricky.  I’ll go one step further, and say that on my list of songs that are less than a minute & ten seconds in total length, there’s like, two in the entire history of music that stand out to me as impressive, and they’re both Black Leather Birds tunes.  “Monster” is one of’em…the longer of the two in fact, at a robust 1:07.  The other is “One More For The Road,” which is an experience I still can’t wash off of me from The Color Of Memory EP released back when Black Leather Birds was still making its debut back in 2021.  It’s been FIVE YEARS of that song continuing to haunt my memory and chill my bones just by thinking about it, and YES, I still seek that feeling out BY CHOICE, all the time.  I like music that gives us a visceral response, and what A.G. Syjuco creates practically can’t help but to BE that, every time.  Whether it was his work in Jack Of None, or his previous stuff in FAUST!, or his solo stuff as Black Leather Birds, the sensory way his music has always essentially threatened to reach out and grab us by the throat is nothing short of award worthy.  The deadly way that “Monster” moves, from its frantic, intense, and whispered growl of a lead and angelic backing vocals combined…it’s honestly all amazing to me.  You really don’t hear too many tracks like this one, and I’m so very rarely impressed by anything that’s less than at least two and a half minutes in total runtime.  But here we are and that’s the case – I found “Monster” to be insanely fascinating.  Not only is the idea and concept at the core of it all incredible, but it really beats the odds by how complete it feels.  I don’t know how you go about creating something that’s only a minute & seven seconds long and make it feel like you’ve really had an experience you’ll remember when just about every minute and seven seconds we have on this planet basically floats straight into the ether to be forgotten every single day – but leave it to A.G. to find an extraordinary way like this to give the smallest moment maximum results.  Also key to note, is that “Monster” brings back the stunning vocals of his sister Maxine Syjuco into the mix, and though the track is short, she’s sounding just as spellbinding as she ever has.  I’ve missed her voice and Jack Of None so damn much…as odd as it was in this particular context, it was comforting to hear her return, and hopefully, with a little luck, it’ll inspire these two to make another full album soon.

If I wasn’t such a massive fan of A.G.’s music, I would be DEMANDING that this dude takes some time to write a book, because straight-up, real talk, this guy is a WAY better writer than I am.  I couldn’t get enough of listening to “The Box,” which spins a horrific and terrifying narrative together, with a Spoken Word approach.  Syjuco is capable of bringing your worst nightmares to life in such an impeccably listenable way that it completely blows my mind.  It can be remarkably descriptive, it can be undeniably poetic, it can lead to vivid and sensory moments you’ll never forget.  Look at this verse from “The Box” for example:  “The mailman came and walked a wide arc around it.  This was wrong — cosmically wrong — because the mailman acknowledged EVERYTHING.  He treated it like it was not there, or like it was too much there.  Too real.  More REAL than the grass it sat on.”  I could honestly go on and on…I could quote this whole song, kick my feet up here instead of typing, and be comfortable in the knowledge that A.G.’s words would tell you more about the music than I’d ever be able to.  I’d way rather that you LISTEN to it for yourself though…because it’s not just about the lyrical details, it’s about the whole damn PACKAGE.  Yes, pun intended.  You’ll get it when you check it out…”The Box” is the kind of moment you FEEL in the music you’re listening to, and you’ll be lucky if you can go back to whatever your version of ‘normal’ is afterwards.  From the curious way the music works, to the brilliant combination of serene melodies and sharp intensity he creates, to the smart inclusion of the sound of flies buzzing in the mix to support the story, to the perfect way the Spoken Word element is threaded into this song, the whole damn thing is absolutely, 100% brilliant.  When I have talked about how relentlessly cool the Spoken Word genre has the potential to be in things I’ve said throughout the years, “The Box” is an exemplary highlight that proves exactly how correct that assessment is.  There’s still so much to be done with it, but artists like Carl Anderson and A.G. Syjuco are leading the way into the genre’s true wealth of exciting possibilities.  “The Box” is genuinely staggering to me…I sit here and listen to the words, and I’m just in awe, truly.  To think that SO MUCH KICKASSERY is happening in the music, and only a fragment of the population is even going to realize that, or understand how it accentuates the whole story…is like…pretty damn wild when it comes right down to it.  That’s all on A.G. though – the music of “The Box” is a perfect fit for the moment without question, but the story is so cleverly detailed that we can barely take our ears off it to acknowledge all the OTHER GREATNESS surrounding the vocals.  That’s a VERY NICE PROBLEM to have!

And there it goes…I think my jaw just dropped right onto the floor, and I’m way too busy listening to find the desire to pick it up.  Can this record be any more amazing than it is?  Let’s be crystal clear here…I was already enjoying “Almost” in the first gear that it started in…stunningly sleek and mesmerizing vocals that couldn’t have possibly come out any better – it’s deadly, it’s sexy, it’s spellbinding stuff without a doubt.  So don’t get it twisted, if that was all there was to “Almost,” man, I’d have been happy enough with that and I’d have been singing this song’s praises to you all, I promise you that.  The fact that A.G. somehow finds a way to make this experience even better…like…I just do not possess the words to describe that.  Herculean?  I think that works as well as any other could if I’m being honest with you.  The whole design of “Almost” is so impeccably slick – I could not get enough of how the vocal melody and the burly BEEF in the low end of the music were such an incredibly insightful pairing…mind-blowing really.  Haunting, graceful, mysterious…it’s a match made in heaven or hell, depending on your perspective…where you fall on that spectrum will definitely tell you a lot about yourself.  Then you get to this…well…bridge of sorts I suppose, both literally and metaphorically, around the 1:20 mark…and I’m telling you right now, no matter how awesome you already thought “Almost” was to that point, strap the fuck in because that next part is beyond genius.  Bringing back the Spoken Word element was the best choice for this moment…where we end up like, floating in the ether, trying to reach somewhere we’ve once been, or find a memory that we can’t quite remember in the recesses of our mind, or maybe even the very moment before we move onto whatever is coming next after this life…I’m sure we could all come up with a wide variety of theories as to what a track like “Almost” might be about, and that lyrical versatility it possesses provides wicked dynamics to the song overall.  You’ll hear darkly sweet lines, venomous intensity, horrific implications, and an ominous vibe that combine into a moment in time that is so damn cool you’d have to hear it all to believe it…and then having that slide seamlessly into one of the most intriguing and serene spots you’ll hear in any song this year at that 1:20 mark…it’s all such a decisive WIN for ART.  Hang it in the Louvre!  When I listen to each individual component of “Almost,” whether it’s a piece of the instrumentation or a part of the song, I’m genuinely blown away by the attention to detail that’s been put in and how the results of every single moment you hear have reached the maximum potential from the music to the microphone.  As much as I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve heard on Of Children And Their Sorceries to this point in the EP, I think I’d have to put “Almost” up on a pedestal of its own…it’s a true level beyond everything else.  Not just in the context of this particular record, but like…EVERYTHING ELSE.  Listen to how insanely gifted A.G. is will ya?  He’s got like…drill sounds laced in here in ways you’d practically never even realize even though it’s a main part of the melody…he’s got like…a full-on Horror-movie theme going on in behind the vocals when the intensity rises…and that low-end groove at the core of it all…it’s all killer no filler!  The backing vocals during the Spoken Word part!  OMG!  Purely brilliant.  Lyrically, it’s astounding on all fronts, and each part of the song carries its own mood, atmosphere, dimension, and style of its own.  I could clearly go on & on about “Almost” (and basically have already) – this cut is among the rarest gems.

Yeah…okay A.G., you win bro…I’m calling it, good game.  Listening to the immaculate musicianship of the finale cut, “Goodnight My Darling,” is an otherworldly experience…and from the very moment I heard it the first time, I fell right in love with this tune.  Which, for those of you keeping score at home, basically makes Of Children And Their Sorceries a perfect five outta five, track for track.  I don’t tend to point this stuff out because I hate confusing numbers with art, I’m simply explaining that every song on this EP is one you shouldn’t want to live without.  If this record doesn’t end up in a ton of critics top ten lists at the end of the year, then there’s simply no justice in the artistic realm, and I can’t accept that.  I think you WILL find nothing but admiration and praise for what A.G.’s put together from start to finish.  “Goodnight My Darling” was a great way to wrap things up, and ultimately, it’s all the audible proof that anyone would ever need to know that Syjuco isn’t limited to merely one dimension with his creativity.  Lightening things up was a gorgeous decision…the harmonics are outstanding…the musicianship and the production is at the incredibly high standard you’ve become accustomed to in listening to Black Leather Birds.  Almost sounds like something you’d hear on a Lemon Jelly record, and I definitely love that.  A.G.’s ear for sound deserves its own separate shout-out…I continually love the man’s ideas, but I am always astounded by how he brings them to life with such a 3D type of texture.  You feel this guy’s music in a very real way that’s unlike anything else you’ll experience.  I don’t know how you market that, but it should be a criminal act to let this record slip by you this year without listening to it…so don’t let that happen or I’ll be the first to SNITCH on you and report your bitch-ass to the 5-0.  For real…”Good Night My Darling” felt like we got the privilege to tour the inside the inner workings of a clock in a dream…like we were able to see how we spent our whole lifetime from above as we soar within our best memories & the most impactful moments that made it all worth living.  Try to tell me you don’t want to listen to something that sounds like THAT – you know you do!  I sincerely have nothing but the highest of praise for what I’ve heard on Of Children And Their Sorceries.  There’s a very good chance that we’ve just stumbled across one of the best records you’ll hear this year…and I know this because it’s one of the best records that I’VE heard this year.

Find out more about Black Leather Birds from the official website at:  https://blackleatherbirds.com

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