Music was a constant companion for Sylvie Yannello growing up, but despite being formally trained – something had yet to click when it came to the freedom music provides. She could follow a score, but improvising and letting go of her inhibitions was something that came about after one night with Elvis Costello. It took her over a decade to capture that night in song, and it can now be heard – along with four other tracks – on her 2021 release, ‘Treacle & Vitriol.’
“It is the product of a musical journey that started with a teenager’s unanswered prayers to St Jude but did not bear fruit until she joined the church of Elvis twenty years later,” notes Sylvie Yannello when lamenting about her recent release. She has played but not like this. Elvis Costello’s concert pushed her pianist skills, got her behind a drum kit, and finally – her musical freedom was found.
Void of limitations, Sylvie Yannello stands tall with a handful of tracks on this indie meets alternative rock record that has hints of various decades throughout. “No Resemblance” has the heart of a rock track from the ‘70s, but vibes like something one would have heard spun on college radio in the ‘90s. “No Good Deed” also harbors sounds of the ‘70s as the psychedelic undertones make waves from the press of play.
Throughout the EP audiences can hear Sylvie Yannello’s heart and bravado on songs like “Sell the Spade” and “Thank You Ted Turner.” The latter being a song that would provide crowds at both late-night bars and afternoon festivals a sing-a-long moment that would leave them with nothing but smiles. As for that night with Elvis, it took her some time to get it just right but after a decade and some change, she was able to fully realize those memories into a fully realized song on the record’s anchor, “Baptised at the Gramercy.”
‘Treacle & Vitriol’ is a journey of sound brought to life by drummer/pianist/Elvis Costello enthusiast, Sylvie Yanello and those who love music that has heart with an alternative twist will want to grab a copy of this EP for themselves and dig into a record that this artist put so much time, effort, and passion into.
When Sylvie Yannello is not creating her own music, she is teaching others. She is a piano teacher offering lessons to those who want to master the keys. Her piano skills not only allow her to teach and play her own music but also work with others like at a local ballet school in New York City. When she is not doing all of the above, fans of soulful pop music can catch her playing drums with the quartet, Phanrosy.
Written by Kendra Beltran
