Xyra Music… Verborgen, The_LINE, The XYRA Band, The Banished, Mystic Angels, Flight of Odin

XYRA: Through The Dark Glass Shining by Michael Macey

Xyra has made an epic sounding record with Through The Dark Glass Shining. Prog rock meets mystical siren. With a voice that’s a cross between Patti Smith and Marianne Faithful, it brings a mysterious quality to the production that helps transcend the somewhat cryptic quality of the lyrical content. Xyra exudes a spirituality that is somewhere between here and there and she conveys that with lyrics like “Chaos in search of meaning, you hold me dear/Water’s edge in your direction, Ancient stair” from Chaos In Search Of Meaning and “Liquid light, mine tonight/Dangerous liaison, caught in the web/lost in the thought of fateful endeavor” from Liguid Light. Coupled with the melodies she weaves and that voice, in the context of the songs they make perfect sense. Lets just say that the lyrical content of Through The Dark Glass Shining is always entertaining, sometimes cryptic and certainly worth a listen. Sweeping arrangements give the whole thing a very grand sound that at times seems to jump right out at you. Xyra shows her knack for Adult Contemporary with a tune like Only, a radio ready song that would make a great single. It’s a catchy mid-tempo number that features some excellent guitar work from Jeff Spencer and a too short killer sax riff from Don Stapleson. The production on some of the songs borders on bombastic, it’s where I hear that prog rock connection, which actually sounds very good in an updated way. The players, all very talented but too numerous to mention, back Xyra with a thick sound full of energy. Through The Dark Glass Shining is one of the more enigmatic released I’ve heard in a while. Don’t spend a lot of time trying to decipher, just listen and enjoy. ___________________________________ National Public Radio Music Feature by Mark Jenkins Before anyone had ever heard of 'Goth,' Xyra was a DJ on Georgetown University's radio station, where she favored the darker, artier, more theatrical side of rock. The northern Virginia resident's tastes may not have shifted since then, Mark Jenkins reports, but these days she makes her own music. Xyra Harper's newest album is called "Through the Dark Glass Shining". Mark Jenkins also reviews music for Blender and The Washington Post.