Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears: Mad Valentines

The name of New York sextet, Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears, is a suitable sobriquet for the band’s sound, fashioned from frighteningly fast-tempos, shredding guitars, and tearful, yet amped-up, vocals. “Mad Valentines,” the group’s recent EP, possesses the qualities of a rock opera on fast forward. Such glam, power-pop style borders on frantic, exemplified by “Andromeda’s Eyes” with its non-stop pounding piano and pressing pace. “(It’s A) Gambler’s Wind” takes the EP down a notch, but not by much, to a smooth, dramatic disco with a lively lilt. Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears then jump back into intense theatricality on the playful, British invasion-inspired “The Gardener Eleanor” and ragtime-meets-pop “Maria St. Claire.” Winding up a finale, the whimsical “Bye Bye Babylon” and epic, guitar-ridden “The Red Umbrella” pack the final punches into “Mad Valentines.” Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears’ urgently upbeat vitality is bound to lift listeners’ spirits and bring them to their feet for an ovation. www.bryanscary.com