Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin- Fly By Wire
Eric Gasa
3.5/5
For the sake of talent, locality and ridiculously long band names, majority of Missourians deserve to know of the charmingly underrated Springfield indie pop outfit, Somebody Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Having one of the most absurd handles in the music industry, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, or SSLYBY for the sake of ink and redundancy, have risen through the ranks as a local band turned serious independent success. After headlining a Russian music festival (hence their namesake) and being appointed American cultural ambassadors for a day, front man Phil Dickey and his band returned home to Springfield to record after their fond experiences playing in Moscow. What became of this endeavor is now titled Fly By Wire, a simple, back to the basics album, inspired by the band’s excellently homegrown debut, Broom.
As a whole, Fly By Wire suggests something on the lines of the most perfect afternoon ever, with its plucky and hazily dreamy guitar pop that does nothing better than evoke some awesomely warm vibes. Truthfully enough though, this LP shines its brightest when being it’s gentlest. Breezy, airy vocals and a slew of ambient audio touches ensure a more than easy listening experience on this record of appreciatively simple love songs. But despite its seemingly predictable concept, Fly By Wire has some very potent hooks and surprising moments; the sugary and jangling acoustic rhythm of “Loretta” is a pop single to be reckoned with, while key track, “Nightwater Girlfriend” croons undeniably like a pop-punk feature before hitting an almost disco-esque breakdown of a hook at 2:08. But as far as track individuality goes, the intros and choruses taste like pure sunshine, kite flying, Lucky Charms and a million other happy thoughts with each discreetly strummed guitar chord and keyboard stroke.
The questionably titled “Harrison Ford” opens up Fly By Wire with some starry and sentimental piano-acoustic guitar cohesion and delicate melodies by Phil’s vocals that are reminiscent of a mellowed out Deathcab For Cutie. “Nightwater Girlfriend” once again proves to be the most muscular track on this LP though with a barreling bass line and swelling chorus of homegrown romance; “Her lips are lightning / She’s the night water queen / I’m not ready for defeat / I went crazy for a week,” while “Young Presidents” plays the part of the cutesy, wide-eyed pop song with a dazzling keyboard spread and lyrics that quirkily rhyme “On a 747 flight,” with “Discussions with the Russians last all night.”
Conclusively, SSLBY has returned with a brilliantly evolved sound that lies somewhere between the keyboard pop dreaminess of The Postal Service and the neighborly indie solace of the early Shins. In premise, this album could almost be titled Broom 2 (if there was ever such a thing) but with more indulgent melodies and lethargic aspirations. But where one could sign off Fly By Wire as a tame or lightweight record, never does this LP try to be something that it’s not; SSLYBY has certainly found a wistfully gentle niche in indie pop music. Once again, for the sake of talent, locality and ridiculously long band names, Fly By Wire earns a decent 3.5/5 stars for its ability to lift moods and vibes easily enough. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin; check them out, they’re seriously right up the road.
the local joke 