Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s recent absence from the music scene has left many wondering whether or not we’d see another album from the dynamic foursome. However, this past Monday night’s show was the answer to that question: SSLYBY is back and better than ever. The band took Brooklyn’s own Bell House by storm and, even though the venue isn’t the biggest in New York City, it played with such tenacity and enthusiasm that it seemed like we were standing in Giants Stadium.

The band kicked off the show by immediately jumping into fan-favorite “Pangea”, which garnered a round of explosive cheers from the crowd. From there, they moved onto the lesser known “Heers”, which was followed by a new song — yes, you read that correctly — a brand spankin’ new song. In fact, out of its 17 song setlist, SSLYBY debuted five new songs from its upcoming album. This was easily the best part of the show in that it brought a whole new dynamic to the band’s performance. Gone were the light and simple melodies that the band is known for; instead, we were presented with an unexpected energy and ferocity in songs such as “Critical” and “Banned”. The fast-paced “Dracula” put a humorous spin on a silly subject which had the audience chuckling along as they bobbed their heads at break-neck speeds. It sounded almost as if we were at a hardcore punk rock show minus the mosh pits and mohawks.

Fans of the band have no need to fret, however. SSLYBY it still the same, albeit with a little more bite, and that’s a good thing. It’s obvious the band has matured since its first efforts in 2005 with Broom and in 2008 with Pershing. What SSLYBY’s bringing to the table with its new album is a shining example of this. Even though lead singer Phil Dickey addressed the upcoming release of the new album by saying, “But maybe we shouldn’t be talking about that just yet,” it’s clear that it’s going to be something special and possibly one of the best of 2010. At the end of the night, the crowd was electrified by what they had just witnessed and this reviewer went home happy.

Setlist:
Pangea
Heers
Everlyn
Think I Wanna Die
Gwyneth
Critical
Banned
House Fire
Oregon Girl
Dracula
Back in the South
Dead Right
You Could Write a Book
Anna Lee
Modern Mystery

Encore:
Glue Girls
I Am Warm and Powerful