One of the many things I adore about the New Atlantis label is its ability to furnish recordings that feature prodigious players without — seemingly ever — resorting to the wankiness that often accompanies solo guitarists into their bedrooms. Brandon Seabrook isn’t strictly a guitarist actually (he sidles up to the banjo), and there’s nothing isolated or lonely about Sylphid Vitalizers, as it employs halfway acceptable drum machines and a frenetic pace to its endless benefit. You might catch Seabrook closing up shop with a drone or two, such as on “Mucoidal Woolgathering,” but he’s here to wreck shit, not drift you to sleep. And wreck shit he does. The tension here resembles that of string ensembles stretched to the absolute snapping point, dive-bombing then jutting their noses straight up to the heavens. “Cabeza Spasms” even had me thinking I’d thrown on that crispy Microwaves vinyl (speaking of which that’s a sick one too), with its spitfire drums (though I’m assuming these are still mechanical) and geeked-out guitar noodles. Perhaps the most eloquent moments of Sylphid Vitalizers occur when Seabrook thinks no one’s listening, such as the second half of “Cabeza.” Here he sets aside the programming and shredding, opting for a mellow suite of sorts that soothes as much as it puzzles. Fantastic work all around, from a fleet-fingered fellow that is most likely just getting started. Look for his full-group efforts too, such as Seabrook Power Plant; surely a lot of strings are seeing their brittle end at the hands of that ensemble, as well.
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