With their eponymous sophomore release, Austin's
Zykos sound like they could be the next big thing. Matured since 2003's
Comedy Horn, the group has honed its raw talent into songs that are explosive and exposed (like "Mrs.") or sadly beautiful ("Dark Tan"). Masters of melodic pop on "George Eliot," a song made sturdier by Jerod Cykoski's crack drumming and Mike Booher's punchy vocals,
Zykos' secret weapon is easily keyboardist Catherine Davis, who gives the bulk of this self-titled set the rich delivery its predecessor lacked. The tense, torching "Understanding Fire" is drastically albeit successfully reworked from the debut, but it's the immediacy of "Above the Map" that just may own your mind for a while -- further evidence that
Zykos is a great record. ~ John D. Luerssen