YNYS
Ynys (Libertino)
Ynys is a solo project by Abersytwyth’s Dylan Hughes, and this self-titled debut album sounds every bit as much of a full-band effort as the actual full band he played keyboards in, Race Horses (née Radio Luxembourg). That takes us back about a decade, though, so it’s not surprising that Hughes has been dosed with the creative itch since.
While Ynys is in essence a winsome melodic indie album, nothing that suggests the musician has been through a total creative rebirth, he’s an evidently skilled arranger and producer, with string sections and synth ballast breaking out all over these 11 songs. Indeed, the beginning of album opener Môr Du sets out that stall, the sort of borderline-saccharine high-sheen sound Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips locked down in the late 90s. Away from that template, I thought the PR claim of an Ethiopian jazz influence sounded fanciful, but nope, it’s right there on Welcome To The Island.
words NOEL GARDNER
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