This isn't the typical fare that I write about on RapReviews, but then again there's
nothing typical about Sydney Bennett. She's the older sister of
Odd Future collective member Taco.
Even though he has a foundational role in the crew (early Odd Future demos
were recorded at his home) I think of him more as a member of their
now retired [adult swim]
show "Loiter Squad" than as a rap star. I guess when you're in a crew with
Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean and Hodgy Beats it's easy to be overshadowed
anyway. That could easily have been the case for "Syd Tha Kid" as well. Thanks
to Odd Future spinoff group The Internet
though, Syd's profile as a singer, producer and songwriter started to rise
to the level of stardom in her own right. Even though we (like the Geto Boys)
don't give a damn about Grammys, "Ego Death"
got nominated for one and took Syd's profile to another plateau, as did
profile pieces everywhere from Rolling Stone to The Guardian. To Syd's regret many of those articles focused on her
sexuality, which unfortunately became an easy topic due to Tyler's flippant
use of homophobic language on her solo albums, but her talent is undeniable.
The recent release of "Always Never Home" is a follow-up to February's full
length album "Fin," and it's my plan to get to that one too, but I decided to
tackle the more recent release first. Syd opens the album with the sultry
"Moving Mountains," produced by Anonxmous with an obvious emphasis on funky
electronic bass. It pairs well with Syd's anxious vocals, pleading with a
lover to show her more respect, feeling she's literally moved heaven and Earth
to show her loyalty and dedication.
"I could write a hundred songs for you
Sing 'em all night long to you
Even break the law for you
Then tell the judge to blame it all on me
Still it wouldn't be enough baby
Got me questioning your love lately
Is it me or is it you?
Tell me what I gotta do..."
It may strike you as an obvious contradiction that Syd is tired of talking
about her sexuality when she writes such sexually urgent songs. What is an
artist if not a summary of contradictions though? As far as the Odd Future
collective goes the friendship between Tyler and Frank Ocean already summarizes
the nature of that disconnection from what takes place in music to what goes
on IRL. It may also be that Syd can talk more frankly and intimately to a
microphone than she can to an interviewer because the studio is a more private
and personal environment. No one else even needs to be there other than the
engineer recording you if you don't want to, and in fact in Syd's case she
could be her own engineer if she WANTED to. She's happy to work with
other producers on this release though, such as Gwen Bunn and Ricci Riera on
"Bad Dream/No Looking Back."
"Always Never Home" is not a long epic journey through Syd's world, as befits
the $3 or less being charged for it, but it's a worthwhile expenditure at any
amount. Syd as a soloist is even more remarkable than within the confines of
the Odd Future collective or its Internet spinoff. The problem with a lot of
R&B is the same as with a lot of drill and trap music -- anytime an artist
becomes a success on the charts everybody imitates then and the whole genre
starts to sound the same for a long period of time. Thankfully songs like "On
the Road" show that Syd won't fall into that trap. It's a dark eletronic and
weird IN A GOOD WAY song that has Syd playing with her own vocal tone.
She's not AutoTuning, she's self-tuning, and that playful sound is what makes
her interesting in a dull world full of sound alikes and lookalikes. Syd is
a unique breath of fresh air and the more of her we get to hear the better.
Music Vibes: 7.5 of 10
Lyric Vibes: 7.5 of 10TOTAL Vibes: 7.5 of 10
![[Always Never Home]](../coverart/syd-AlwaysNeverHome.jpg)
This isn't the typical fare that I write about on RapReviews, but then again there's
nothing typical about Sydney Bennett. She's the older sister of
Odd Future collective member Taco.
Even though he has a foundational role in the crew (early Odd Future demos
were recorded at his home) I think of him more as a member of their
now retired [adult swim]
show "Loiter Squad" than as a rap star. I guess when you're in a crew with
Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean and Hodgy Beats it's easy to be overshadowed
anyway. That could easily have been the case for "Syd Tha Kid" as well. Thanks
to Odd Future spinoff group The Internet
though, Syd's profile as a singer, producer and songwriter started to rise
to the level of stardom in her own right. Even though we (like the Geto Boys)
don't give a damn about Grammys, "Ego Death"
got nominated for one and took Syd's profile to another plateau, as did
profile pieces everywhere from Rolling Stone to The Guardian. To Syd's regret many of those articles focused on her
sexuality, which unfortunately became an easy topic due to Tyler's flippant
use of homophobic language on her solo albums, but her talent is undeniable.