The Young Sinclairs are a modern American garage rock band of sorts from Roanoke, Virginia that first came together around 2005. This album, Feel Bad (2007), is the group’s debut album, and is tagged as rock, folk punk, garage rock, power pop, psych, singer-songwriter, and Roanoke on the album’s Bandcamp listing. The group has taken a couple of breaks over the years, evolving their sound in the process. The group’s most recent release was in 2019, and was something along the lines of folk rock, psych, as well as some retro soul (allmusic.com). I’m really digging the descriptions of the band online, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Feel Bad” starts out with a really groovy mixture of sounds that really reminds me of the late 1960s British folk revival, mixed with some psychedelic garage rock, all combined with a modern shoegazing sort of style you might hear from bands like Kingdom of the Holy Sun. I’m really digging this track so far though, as the soundscape has a really inviting sound that I can’t help but listen closer and closer to. I really dig the twangy quality of the electric guitar that seems to combine nicely with the droning tone that seems to spread throughout the soundscape. Wow, great track, and I’m really excited to hear more.
“Cancelled Flight” starts out in a similar mellow style that feels like a warm shoegazing mixed with a smooth and jangling garage rock. There’s almost a bit of a vaporwave underlying the warm drones that remind me of Brothertiger to some degree. Oh wow, the distorted guitar solo/section at the end of the track is really groovy. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “This Tyme” starts out with a super sweet jangling sound that almost sounds like a folksy sunshine pop of some sort. Oh wow, there’s droning reverb that seems to border on feedback that reminds me a bit of some of the modern psychedelic bands I’ve listened to lately like Magic Shoppe or New Candys. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Sleepyhead” starts out with some mellow, jangling electric and acoustic guitars that remind me of the sort of folksy garage rock style of the Dave Van Ronk & The Hudson Dusters album I listened to a while back. Oh wow, I really dig the swirling organs in this track as well, which add a nice classic psychedelic rock flavor to this modern presentation of psychedelic music. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Thanks Paul Horn” I really dig electric guitar line in this track, which is complemented really well by the acoustic guitar and jangling percussion. The track reminds me a bit of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Oh wow, the electric guitar work has a really groovy flavor that harkens back to the earliest days of rock and roll guitar with the raw style of Link Wray. Wow, great track.
“Can You Hear the Bells?” starts out with a relatively mellow beginning that feels as though it’s ramping up to something larger. Oh wow, I really dig the variations in the electric guitar line. There’s a really interesting mixture of pop flavors in the instrumentation while a distant synth or keyboard drones in the background of the track. Holy smokes, there are some reversed effects that seem to bring a sort of ghostly distorted psychedelic rock guitar with them. Great instrumental track.
“Time Is Not Today” starts out with some bright, jangling electric guitar that’s soon joined by some jangling percussion. The sound almost reminds me of sunshine pop groups like The Millennium. Oh wow, there’s some really groovy drums in this track. Oh wow, the end of the track veers toward an interesting sound that feels like a backwoods bluegrass tune with a raga inflection mixed with a light layer of shoegazing. Super sweet track.
“Engineer Man” starts out with a quickly shifting acoustic guitar chord progression, and is soon joined by some really groovy electric guitar that brings the tune into territory that resembles a pop-inflected classic garage rock sound from the mid-1960s mixed with some super sweet modern psychedelic vocals that have a sort of ghostliness to them that I really dig. Oh wow, the tune resolves back to the intro acoustic guitar chord progression near the end. Great track.
“Left and Right” starts out with some wandering acoustic guitar and some interesting sound effects that sound like a hollow breeze bouncing between metal shipping containers in an abandoned shipping dock. The vocals almost bring a ghostly relaxation to the tune, especially when combined with the hollow breeze sound. Oh wow, the eeriness of the track continues to grow larger and larger as the music continues. Wow, super interesting track.
Oh wow, “Never Know” starts out with some reversed instrumentation and is soon joined by some acoustic guitar and organs that bring a sort of dark whimsy to the soundscape, especially when combined with the sound effects that creep into the soundscape. Super sweet track.
“I Don’t Know” starts out in a style that feels like that band is wrapping together the wide variety of flavors with a fusion of psychedelic garage rock, psychedelic pop, and some modern reverb, echoes, and other effects. The drums in this track have a really raw sound that I really dig. Oh wow, the band gets into a sort of breakdown/groove as the song comes to a close that wraps the track together really nicely. Wow, great track and a super sweet way to end the album.
This album was a unique listening experience that combined flavors of modern psychedelia with reverbs, echoes, and effects that border on shoegazing, with flavors reminiscent of the 1960s with the raw electric guitar work and jangling acoustic guitar and drums that give the album a garage rock mixed with sunshine pop feel with mellow folk rock flavors added throughout. If you’re into sunshine pop or mellow psychedelic music that leans towards rock and folk rock, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A