Part 3 - Austria Series
This time I just couldn’t bring myself to choose one favourite song, so I’ve decided to take a more general view. Today I’m looking at a Viennese rock band called Tyler.
First time I heard Tyler was on a Servus TV programme, I think in 2010. With the help of Shazam, I found out who it was, and was blown away to learn that it was an Austrian band. The song was “What’s Wrong” from Tyler’s debut album, “Don’t Play” (2005). What first caught my attention was the bass line, which the electric guitar doubles in the second half of the intro. A clever technique is letting the beginning of the vocal line imitate the movement of the bass line (B - C# - D), giving it more weight and power.
At any rate, from that moment onward, I was a Tyler fan. And in my opinion, “Don’t Play” shouldn’t be missing from any self-respecting Austrian pop-rock aficionado’s music library. Every song on that album is a gem with its own individual character. “Separated”, “All My Weapons”, “Can’t Break Me” and “Any City” are rock songs with strong melodies; to me they sound grungy in parts and remind me a bit of Stone Temple Pilots. “Wantcha” is a pretty funky track, and “Beautiful”, “Stay Awake” (one of my faves), “Hello” and “Paper Maché Darts” are great rock ballads.
Composition + Production + Killer Vocals = Tyler
What sets Tyler apart is firstly their musical originality and creativity. In a genre where a lot of bands seem to think they can get away with weak/uninspired/monotonous melodies by focussing on production, I really admire bands that attach importance to melody and harmony. Songwriter and lead singer Lukas Hillebrand even uses first and second inversions (e.g. C major chord with E resp. G in the bass) – frankly, that impresses me.
The second thing that sets these guys apart is the brilliant production. A music producer’s job requires a great deal of sensitivity to know which element is needed at which moment in a song, and it’s usually the smallest details that make the difference in the end. If you listen to the first 20 seconds of “Separated”, for instance, you’ll hear a whole lot of tiny elements that work together to create excitement. These layers have to be done just right to work and I just love Tyler’s attention to detail.
One more point I need to mention is the vocal performance of Lukas Hillebrand – this guy can sing! Not only does he have the whole rock thing going on, but his head voice sounds fabulous. He can also switch dynamics seamlessly and his phrasing is impeccable. And on top of everything, he makes it all sound effortless and uncontrived. If I had to name one complaint it would be that the balance of the lead vocals is a bit off in the mix – they should quite simply be louder.
An Austrian ending
So now brace yourselves for the blow: in 2011 Tyler released their second album, “Favourite Sin”, only to disband later that year. Tyler was one of the many casualties of Austria’s unsupportive stance towards its own musicians (pop musicians, in particular) during the past few years/decades. In my opinion, it’s inexcusable that this band got so little support and, subsequently, so little recognition that they were forced to throw in the towel.
Conclusion
Granted, Lukas Hillebrand, Alex Pohn (drums) and Peter Schönbauer (bass) aren’t twiddling their thumbs; they are sought-after songwriters/producers/musicians (primarily for Austrian singer Julian le Play at the moment). But Tyler is sorely missed in the Austrian music scene. All fans can do is listen and re-listen to “Don’t Play” and “Favourite Sin” and hope for a reunion gig some day.
Listen to samples at Amazon
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