Posted: April 5th, 2009
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: March 24th, 2009
	Cyrenic is: Brian Zuckerman (Everything)

Overview: Cyrenic is a one-man wrecking crew, its puppet-master a Frederick, Maryland based dude named Brian Zuckerman. Zuckerman’s first go under his alter-ego Cyrenic came just before Christmas 2007 when he unveiled an eleven song opus carrying the title ‘The Whites of Our Lies‘. Brian was the omnipotent creative force behind the album, credited with 100 percent of the songwriting and playing of instruments. Z-Man rode the high of ‘The Whites of Our Lies‘ for awhile before parking his ass in the studio to start album two. After several months of meticulous crafting, Mr. Zuckerman will unleash the second chapter of Cyrenic on April 7 in the form of a ten track joint called ‘A New Meaning‘.

The Good: ‘A New Meaning‘ is a fitting way to describe Cyrenic’s new affair, as all ten tunes are creative and uber-cognizant cathartic missives straight from the soul of Brian Zuckerman. The ghostly, “Broken Wings”-esque intro to “Lullaby” is crazy enveloping, as the song builds patiently through dashing and satisfying dynamics. Zuckerman’s hair-raising, heartfelt coos add heaps of warmth to “Lullaby”, a massive track and a ballsy way to start ‘A New Meaning‘. “Slow Emotion” is soaked in a trifecta of surging, well-implemented guitars, hulky drums, and vehement vocals that drenches the song with color and helps it flow effortlessly. “Let It Burn” is a palpable harness of two separate dichotomies-mood and vocal. The song treads equally between brooding and volatile and radiant and lucid dispositions, while Zuckerman’s cavernous cries are admirably embellished by the endearing echoes of a female passerby. A gentle giant, “Abyss” sports a rather lofty and imposing landscape; in the end however, “Abyss” pours on the comfort and the serenity the way Paula Dean pours on the butter. “Wait of the World” is lively and titillating, the first real rock juggernaut of ‘A New Meaning‘ with a real emotive push by Brian Zuckerman. “Cutting Through the Knife” is Cyrenic’s eclectic king, chockfull of as much thunder as there is grace while nimbly frisking from punchy to delicate at all the right moments. “Surreal” is notably enterprising and venturesome, yet careful enough not to trample the sensual, provocative identity of its rhetoric. The call-and-response male-female vocal play adds a neat façade to “Surreal”, whose outro might tickle superfans of GNR’s “November Rain”. ‘A New Meaning‘ has its black sheep in “Shattered” but boy oh boy this track is no outsider. Just as its billing suggests, “Shattered” is a no frills all-the-way rock scorcher that really livens up the back-end of the record. Zuckerman’s last run is “Barely Alive”, armed with enough unbridled conviction from the Cyrenic brainchild to completely numb you. Thorough and groundbreaking, “Barely Alive” boasts the album’s best overall drum sound, while Sir Zuckerman spits with an arsenal of inflection.

Deserving its own piece of recognition is “To Have and To Hold”. Wow. That’s all you’ll be able to say after hearing Zuckerman make sweet, sweet love to his piano on this blissful 4 minute journey. To call “To Have and To Hold” evocative and honest would be gross understatements as its spine-tingling energy and honest spirit take your breath away.

The Bad: ‘A New Meaning‘ has two specific instances of peer plagiarism. The first is the riff of “Slow Emotion”, which blatantly resembles “Firefly” by Breaking Benjamin. The second is the riff of “Shattered”, an obvious recycling of Shinedown’s “In Memory”. “Abyss” needs to peak sooner rather than, well, not at all like it does-er-doesn’t do. “Wait of the World” absolutely owns until its outro, which completely maims the song with brittle screams that do nothing more than unlock you from its healthy groove. The overall recording quality of ‘A New Meaning‘ leaves much to be desired, as it often sounds like Brian Zuckerman simply sang and played straight into his computer’s built-in microphone. Throw on a pair of headphones and you’ll quickly pick-up on the jangly crackles littering the mix. What’s saddest about the B-rate mix is how much it hinders ‘A New Meaning‘ from breathing and coming alive; quite frankly, this makes ‘A New Meaning‘ sound starved, even during its most epic moments. After a few listens, many of these tracks start to feel like they’re aimlessly wandering within themselves. Luckily, all ten intros and outros are strong enough anchors to help you keep one foot in reality at all times. However, ‘A New Meaning‘ more often than not loses focus and becomes entrenched in its own starry-eyed, soul-searching lullaby, shutting the listener out until it decides to come back down from the clouds.

Bottomline: Brian Zuckerman is one talented fellow as Cyrenic’s ‘A New Meaning‘ pays healthy testament. There’s more emotionally-charged sentiment and raw dreaminess here than on The Bachelor, a refreshing exploratory rock expose. Sure, ‘A New Meaning‘ has a pocket of flaws, and sure, these flaws are easily discernable. But Brian Zuckerman aka Cyrenic has an album in ‘A New Meaning‘ that’s begging to be something special, which is what ‘A New Meaning‘ will certainly be to more than just a handful of listeners.

TuneLab Rating: 7.5 out of 10