From what initially began with jamming in the living room of Jo’s parents’ house, Tom Iansek and Jo Syme became Big Scary (although, they are neither big nor scary). Following the success of their debut album ‘Vacation’, this two piece Melbourne drummer and strummer are back with a fresh record ‘Not Art.’
The minute this humble duo step on stage, their impressive live act along with their endearing nature, lustre together as some pretty slick talent – in fact it’s pretty hard not to like these guys.
‘Not Art’ is a collection of 11 songs, chock full of rustic instrumentals aligned with sweet vocals.
We got teased with a taste earlier this year with single ‘Phil Collins’ – what Tom refers to as “the mood-setter” for the album. Jo’s percussion and Tom’s ethereal vocals exhibit great, balanced control.
The duo managed to craft a new sound for this record, bringing in influences from folk to hip-hop. May seem like an odd combination, even writing the two together doesn’t sound too right, but once you give it a listen, damn does it sound pretty right.
A pleasant surprise on the record is the pipes on Jo, as heard in the third track ‘Harmony Sometimes’. Her vocals resemblant of Zooey Deschanael wistfully pass along to delicate keys, accompanied with backing vocals of Iansek.
It’s hard to say ‘Not Art’ over ‘Vacation. Both records parade distinct sounds. However, ‘Not Art’ manages to imbue just as much of an effortless sensibility to the first record, which arguably (despite the album title) is art right there.
