"Shelflyfe"
"Shelflyfe"
From the first smashing riffs of the new cd "The Sound of Simplicity" it is apparent that the Rochester, NY quartet Shelflyfe are on the road to something good. With their style, mixing melody and pop sensibilities with the drive and crunch of modern rock, they have a mass appeal yet still keep true to their roots.
The band has played a multidtude of shows since their formation in early 2001 and proven that it takes a special breed of musicians and friends to deal with the industry and remain strong enough to not be chewed up and spit out with the newest trends. The four piece not only have fun making music, they also live it; you can see them at almost every show when they aren't playing, supporting their friends and local bands.
Getting back to their newest release, "The Sound of Simplicity," the band latched onto a new breathe of fresh air and, like the title implies, a certain humble honesty. They sought out the skills of production guru Tony Gammalo (switched, chimaira, it dies today) for their 4 song effort and traveled to Spider Studios in Cleveland, Oh for a few weeks at the beginning of 2006. Tony definitely helped bring out and hone the sound of the band, which is best compared to blending the chop-riff percussiveness of Sevendust and Taproot and incorporating strong harmonies and hooks much like Story of the Year and Chevelle.
The disc is a nice blend of four songs that conquer the emotional instability of growing up in the chaos of the world right now. Frontman/songwriter Gustavus Gricius tackles the struggles to maintain faith within one's self, the obsessions and materialism of modern America as well as dealing with the blow of losing a very close friend during the current conflicts in the middle east. The lyrics are simple and easy to personalize. The tracks are Bury My Pain Down, Feel my life again, Shut out the world and This Life. All in all the disc is a work of professionalism and with their first video/dvd on its way, the band looks to take their sound everywhere they can.
To justify the strength of the band, you must see them live. They mix a very busy and energetic stage prescence without sacrificing the music that is the centerpoint of who they are. The power of their shows not only incorporates the strength of drummer Cole Cooper's pounding style (much in the vein of Morgan Rose) and the texture of vocalist/guitarist Gustavus Gricius; it blends guitarists Andrij Kompanijec and bassist James Sahrles smoothness in a nice layered delivery. A new live feature of the band is the addition of piano and strings that tie it all together.