Troy Gregory - Sybil

  by Andrew Carver

published: 5 / 6 / 2002

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Troy Gregory is lead singer with the Witches, whose 2001 album 'Universal Mall' was one of the year’s finest — a pounding, reverb-heavy  psychedelic punker recorded at fellow Witch Jim Diamond’s Ghetto Recorders. Allegedly Gregory wrote 13 songs for 'Sybil', then invited a host of Detroit bands to help record them over the course of a week. Gregory provides his alternately weary and harried soul voice, the bands turn in the music. 'Sybil' accomplishes three things: It exposes people to Gregory’s work, gives an introduction to several Detroit bands, and surveys several varieties of fuzz. You’ve got cheap-guitar-amp-about-to-explode distortion a la Bantam Roosters, who provide a scratchy, frenetic backing for the lo-fi 'Lice Cots ‘n’ Rabies Shots.' You’ve got short controlled blasts of mod-pop fuzz with the Sights on 'Leave The Ghost at Home', which also finds Gregory at his most crooning. They Come In Threes demonstrate a New Wave melody line synthetic fuzz on '“Rat Squad', a fine slice of paranoid pop with some tremoloed vocals. The Alphabet turn in 'Other Dimensions Will Reveal Themselves 2 B True 2 U' — Gregory is obviously a graduate of the Prince school of song titling. It’s one of the better songs, a hazy gem, with one of Gregory’s strongest singing efforts. The Wildbunch are another album highpoint — and another Strobe band . "Dealin’ in Death ‘n’ Stealin’ In The Name Of the Lord.'' has sheets of distortion and Chuck Berry licks and is very tasty. The Dirtbombs excel as always on their song, 'Born In a Haunted Barn.' Their stomping two drums and two basses sound give the song lots of push. Slumberland’s breezy, atmospheric buzz closes the album out with 'Freezing Rain Freezin’. Also putting in an appearance are the Come-Ons doing their hip-shakin’ organ-driven garage pop, The Volebeats with some jangly country-psyche, Outrageous Cherry with an atypically clunky effort, and Larval, an art-damaged and off-kilter band of which Gregory is a regular member. Jim Diamond’s Pop Monsoon (just Jim and Troy, apparently) turn in a heavily fuzzed 'Down 2 The Last Santa Claus', complete with sleigh bells, and The Glow In The Dark Monsters (Troy and brother Todd) turn in a heavily reverbed 'Elektrik Fool' that sounds like a Witches castoff. “Sybil” has its ups and downs, but there are no really unlistenable tracks,and the bands work well together (not surprising, since there’s a fair amount of membership overlap). Fans of the various bands involved should pick this up. After listening to this, you’ll most likely want to check out the They Come In Threes, who have an LP on Fall of Rome, Slumber Party’s' Kill Rock Stars' album, the effusive output of the Dirtbombs, the Wildbunch (who have a new 7-inch on Flying Bomb) and The Alphabet (they were supposed to have a record out on Poptones, but have now released it themselves), and the Witches’ 'Universal Mall', also on Fall of Rome.

Track Listing:-

1 Lice Cots N Rabies Shots
2 Leave The Ghost At Home
3 Rat Squad
4 Regrets Ive Had A Few
5 Let My Mind Alone
6 Other Dimensions Will Reveal Themselves To Be True
7 Dealing In Death n Stealing In The Name Of The Lor
8 It Aint Human
9 Down 2 The Last Santa Claus
10 Electrik Fool
11 Born In A Haunted Barn
12 We Werk the Lines In Your Hand
13 Freezin Rain Freezin

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