By Caleb Stanislaw
Cody Lynn Boyd’s new remixed track from his previous Demo album The Late Recording, “Made of Stone,” has the melodic sensibilities of something very contemporary, while exhibiting the inflection, phrasing, and texture of a classic rock b-side. Spooky like a walk down a long dark hallway, mysterious in its patience with itself, “Made of Stone” baits and rewards the listener repeatedly. The lyric delivered hurtles toward you in Matrix-bullet fashion, and you anticipate the hit slowly, over and over, a replay of a replay.
In fact, patience is the reward here. The speaker in the song exists in a place where the struggle is interpersonal and where the imbalance in a person is observed from an outsider’s perspective, but with an insider’s attachment. The subject character of “Made of Stone” has constructed a façade, “telling lies with those lips / a well-rehearsed script,” displaying a persona that’s disingenuous. Taking on his role as speaker, Boyd stands defiant, strengthened by his perspective; “Break what you want, try me / Then you’ll see I’m made of stone.” This defiance is well placed; Boyd explores the land-mine riddled territory of character criticism with restraint, effectively taking one for the team.
Produced by Taylor Tatsch (AudioStyles) and Joshua Ryan Jones, Boyd’s new effort builds on last year’s single, “I Played with Fire,” deepening the pools of introspection through careful observation. Boyd’s voice is inviting, his songs enveloping, and his musical presence is like a tremolo-soaked garden of sound flowers. Yeah, maybe he’s 51% old school, but Boyd has something to say. I can’t wait to hear a full length album from burgeoning talent Cody Lynn Boyd, and I hope he gets a band together soon.
https://codylynnboyd.bandcamp.com/track/made-of-stone
