TROY GREGORY - SYBIL

So what do I know about Troy Gregory?  Absolutely nothing.  However, I've known about this CD for a few years now and I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy it.  My reason for buying this disc is because I keep finding it on Electric Six discographies.  Apparently, E6 collaborated with Gregory on a track called 'Dealin' In Death N' Stealin' In The Name Of The Lord'.  I was excited to hear the track.  I found it on eBay for a decent price and so I picked it up.

I was disappointed when I got the disc and found out none of the members of Electric Six actually receive a writing credit for the song.  They play all the instruments and Dick Valentine sings background.  So far that's all I can ascertain.  And just as a side note...  E6 did this while they were still The Wildbunch.

Oddly enough, this disc is 13 tracks of Gregory working with a bunch of different bands, most of which I've never heard of before.  I knew The Volebeats and I'd heard of Bantam Rooster, but everyone else on this record is completely unknown to me.  With strange names like Outrageous Cherry, The Sights, Slumber Party and They Come In Threes.

Now, to be fair, I haven't lived with this disc for very long so I'm giving you my initial reaction to it.  All of the songs range between two and four minutes with none of them actually breaking the four minute mark.  They're short and remind me heavily of the Paisley Underground movement back in the 80's.  Gregory's music blends the psychedelic rock of the 60's with punk and rock influences of the 80's.  It's a trippy album.

So far, my favorite track on the album is actually 'Leave The Ghost At Home.  There are other great songs on the record, but it's not surprising it didn't fare better.  The disc lacks the pop hooks and melodies of a record with mass appeal.  It lingers in psychedelic weirdness for much of its length.  Songs like 'Down 2 The Last Santa Claus' and 'Freezing Rain Freezin'' sound experimental and disjointed; while tracks like 'We Werk The Lines In Yer Hand' sound more like advertising for a national chain of palm readers.

This is a rather strange piece of music, but there are moments of absolute brilliance and charm.  I get a little frustrated with the broken record routine and Gregory falls victim to it on this album quite a bit.  When I say "Broken Record Routine" I refer to a song where lines are repeated over and over.  The Cranberries were notorious for it in the 90's.  It almost drove me insane.  Sometimes, I still can't listen to them for this reason.  Gregory certainly has a vivid imagination and should've been capable of coming up with additional lyrics rather than setting the song on repeat.  But he doesn't.  And although I don't like it, I'm sure some people do.

It's not what I was expecting or hoping for.  But it does have its appeal and charm.  I'll need to live with it for a bit longer before I decide if I actually love it or hate it, but for now, I'm somewhere in the middle and that's fine.  It hasn't convinced me to become a huge Gregory fan, so that's a strike.  But you never know.

My final words:  A STRANGE BIT OF MUSIC TO INVESTIGATE.

TROY GREGORY - SYBIL
01. Lice Cats N' Rabies Shots
02. Leave The Ghost At Home
03. Rat Squad
04. Regrets...I've Had A Few
05. Left My Mind Alone
06. Other Dimensions Will Reveal Themselves 2 B True 2 U
07. Dealin' In Death N' Stealin' In The Name Of The Lord
08. It Ain't Human
09. Down 2 The Last Santa Claus
10. Electric Fool
11. Born In A Haunted Barn
12. We Werk The Lines In Yer Hand
13. Freezing Rain Freezin'