Tyko Defies Definition

by Katrina Martin

It's easy to pigeonhole bands into labels. Tyko could be characterized as shoegazers or dream pop. However, with their blend of spacey instrumentation and poppy vocals, they straddle both labels and defy definition.

"We love the shoegazer aesthetic," said singer/songwriter Kevin Blagg. "But we don't want to do what's already been done. We bring the voices to the front to make them pop and add a dreamy sound. That's what makes us different."

Blagg refers to the tendency of shoegazers to drown the vocals behind feedback and spacey instruments. Instead of following this edict to the letter, Tyko allows the perfect blend of Beverly Blann and Blagg's voices to shine through the dreamy pop background on their third release A Long Way From One to Zero, which hit stores March 1. The result is an inviting and original composition that will lure listeners of many genres.

The diverse vision for this sound likely comes from their varied influences, which range from Nick Drake to Stereolab to My Bloody Valentine. It also hails from Tyko's place of origin: Fayetteville, Arkansas. It's not yet on the map as a music town, but Blagg says this allows the musicians located there to open their minds to an array of music.

"There are a handful of bands here - about one for each genre," he said. "People here have more eclectic interests and the musicians find each other."

In fact, the band members met at the one gathering place for indie rock musicians - JR's Lightbulb Club. They've been together since 2000 and their style and camaraderie have evolved since then. Blann and Blagg often work together on the lyrics and music. Blagg writes the music for his compositions first and then adds the lyrics. His songs revolve around looking at the atmosphere around him and how the universe works to bring people together. He also often sees things through a child's eye. His process differs from what might be seen as traditional, i.e. the poet turned musician.

"I have a hard time writing lyrics," he said. "I may write some lyrics to play the song, but they don't mean anything until I finish the music. I usually just babble stuff until I figure out where I want the words to go."

Then he sits down with Blann to work through the finer points of the music.

"Bev is good on harmonies and hearing where notes should be," Blagg said.

Blann comes from a family of musicians - her mother is a high school choral director and both her mother and father are voice instructors. Although she knew she could sing and performed in several plays in elementary school, she didn't think about performing with a band until later.

"I always thought playing in a rock band was a boy thing," she said. "Then I got to college and realized, 'I can find a band to sing with' and 'I can sing pop music.'"

Although it's not a full-time gig now, Blann and Blagg both said they'd love Tyko to take off. However, Blagg prefers to remain humble and realistic about potential success. He also doesn't subscribe to the idea that signing with a major label is death to an independent band.

"At some point you have to make a choice between your adolescent integrity and paying the bills," he said.

This time around the band members decided on Blisscent Records, a Rhode Island-based label. They sent demos to "a lot of people and half the people didn't respond at all," Blagg said. However, Blisscent had already put a song from Tyko's last record Transmissions From the Biosphere on a recent compilation album, so the band capitalized on this connection. They also became more proactive about marketing, taking out more ads in magazines and pushing for airplay with college radio stations.

Their latest album is certainly worth a listen. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the record is the melding of Blagg and Blann's voices. At times, they nearly sound like one. Neither singer is sure how they pulled this off, but they're quite happy with the results. "All Tomorrow's Parties" highlights the phenomenon. Its shimmering guitars and upbeat tempo contrast their moody yet expectant singing.

It seems apparent from several tracks that Tyko puts on a great live show. Blagg said the band strives to play one last live show in Fayetteville before recording their music to make sure they have everything tight and rehearsed. It must have worked well this time. The song "Solid Air" shows off their energy with quickly-strummed intro and rocking beats.

Although Tyko may not fit into a certain box, the inability to label them works to their advantage. Their sound has something for everyone - soothingly dreamy atmospheres, undulating feedback and gorgeous vocals - which should prove to create a lucrative third release for them.