Syd: Fun Songs, Serious Business

Indie singer-songwriter / producer Syd is in control, as a writer of straight-ahead, hook-laden songs, cleanly and perfectionistically produced, and as his own business manager

When Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo got injured on tour, our first thought was "Hey, have we got an understudy for you!" Syd, an indie songwriter / producer / singer we met through Twitter, writes clean, lean, guitar-driven songs that capture the charms of Cuomo's material without aping it at all.

Syd's songs are delightfully accessible: sweet, a touch sentimental and a bit retro. We particularly like throwback rocker "Mallory" and gently uptempo ballad "Far Away": both demonstrate Syd's charm and light touch. But do explore his catalog further-we haven't heard a single dud in the mix. Every cut is elegantly produced, by the way. The man's great at getting out of his own way and letting the material breathe.

A 28-year-old graduate of renowned theater and arts school Emerson College, Syd is more than a bit quirky. For one thing, he chooses to use only his first name professionally, a choice we thought only Prince could carry off. (It actually works just fine.) Or maybe it's that Vermont thing; Syd lives and records his work in the artistic bowels of the Green Mountain State. In fact, he speaks of cutting one critical album, 2007's "The Way We Found It," in a gutted barn in the deep woods of Chelsea, Vt. You can't beat that for atmosphere, folks.

But Syd's a determined businessman, too. Not long out of college, in 2002, he began playing colleges and other indie-friendly venues, playing hundreds of shows a year. Over the next five years, he'd sell 3,000 physical copies of his albums and 23,000 digital downloads.

He currently sells every album he's made as a "name your price" digital download. (He does impose a minimum of 50 cents per track.) His attractive, cleanly-designed site was put together by the man, as well. He actually majored in Web design at Emerson, a significant asset for a guy who wants to write his own ticket in a digital world.

Since he began touring, Syd hasn't worked long-term at any other profession than music, despite the financial stresses that involves. "It's like delightful quicksand," he muses. "The less you struggle the easier it is."