BLACK LEATHER BIRDS

Experimental musings from the mind of AG Syjuco • Playfully twisting air (and splitting hairs) since 2020...

ABOUT

AG Syjuco

BLACK LEATHER BIRDS is the solo project of A.G. Syjuco, best known as the producer and composer behind the experimental rock/art band Jack of None. Launched during the 2020 pandemic, Black Leather Birds is A.G.'s personal space for exploring new musical ideas and pushing creative boundaries beyond his collaborative work.

In March 2021, A.G. released his debut EP, "The Color of Memory," featuring predominantly instrumental music that did not seem to fit Jack of None's aesthetic.

In May 2026, A.G. released his latest EP, "of Children and Their Sorceries," a five-track opus heavy on atmosphere, spoken word, and slow-building tension. The record explores themes of anxiety and existential dread with a literary sensibility, placing prose poetry and ritual chant alongside more conventional song structures.

A.G. actively experiments with integrating software development innovations and techniques into music and video production, leveraging his professional expertise as a technologist at a major multinational tech firm. Black Leather Birds reflects A.G.'s passion for creative exploration, technology, and storytelling through sound and visuals.

FEATURED REVIEWS

of Children and Their Sorceries has been met with a wave of acclaim across the underground. A few of the voices:

ROMBO Magazine
May 2026

ROMBO called it “a chamber of gentle dread,” praising the EP's mastery of restraint — a composer who understands how much emotional weight can be carried by what is left unsaid and unplayed.

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Sleeping Bag Studios
May 2026

Jer@SBS found “The Box” genuinely staggering and “Almost” a level beyond everything else, declaring the EP one of the best records you'll hear this year — worthy of hanging in the Louvre.

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Lelahel Metal
June 2026

A glowing notice praising the EP as boundary-pushing and deeply immersive — singling out the spoken-word centerpiece “The Box” as “a masterclass in narrative songwriting,” and a project that prizes emotional truth over convention.

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Indie Dock Music Blog
June 2026

An in-depth London review praising the EP's meticulous restraint and literary depth — calling the protagonist of “The Box” “one of the more perfectly conceived characters to appear in a song this decade,” and the record a serious, exacting reckoning with ordinary dread.

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Edgar Allan Poets
May 2026

Called it “a thrilling engagement with the unknown,” praising the EP's avant-garde atmosphere, fearless experimentation, and A.G.'s ability to transport listeners into an alternate reality.

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The Shend
Radio · The Spinning Man · April & June 2026

The Shend — founder and frontman of cult Dadaist post-punk legends The Cravats, and a four-time John Peel Session artist on BBC Radio 1 — first spun “Nothing Ever Grows Here” on his programme The Spinning Man, likening it to “a David Lynch film turned into a piece of music.” He returned in June to feature “The Box” — a track he loved so much he played it three times in a row the first time he heard it — likening it to an entire episode of The Twilight Zone compressed into four minutes, and calling it “absolutely brilliant!” and “marvelous stuff!”

Parkett
Review · Italy · June 2026

Italy's Parkett hailed the EP as “a thoughtful and highly developed artistic vision,” praising how it balances alternative-rock foundations with literary storytelling and immersive, cinematic electronic textures — suspended between reality and imagination.

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Illustrate Magazine
Review · June 2026

Calling the EP “strange, hypnotic, and richly cinematic,” Illustrate Magazine likened it to wandering a forgotten dreamscape where time has stopped — praising A.G.'s command of atmosphere and narrative, and a record that rewards those willing to surrender to its peculiar spell.

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No Transmission
EP Review · June 2026

Finneas Enright praised the EP as “immersive, intelligent, and quietly haunting,” a slow-burning set of psychological short stories that simmers rather than erupts — singling out “The Box” as one of its most compelling moments, and crediting A.G. with recasting everyday dread as something strangely beautiful.

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Plastic Magazine
Review · UK · June 2026

The UK's Plastic Magazine hailed the EP as “its most immersive and conceptually ambitious work thus far,” praising its deliberate patience and literary influence — a blend of spoken word, prose poetry, and ritual chant set against more familiar song structures — and singling out the disquieting mystery of “The Box” and the extraordinary creativity of “Almost.”

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In Conversation ROMBO Magazine  ·  June 2026

Black Leather Birds and the Rooms We Choose to Stay In

A long-form interview on solitude, domestic dread, family legacy, and the EP that turns an unopened box into a meditation on presence — on the things that never truly leave us, and learning “to make room for them.”

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A.G. Syjuco

Augusto (AG) Syjuco is the eldest son of artists Cesare Syjuco and Jean Marie Syjuco.

At age 15, he was the lead guitarist, composer and arranger for FAUST!, an art-rock band of prodigious siblings that was discovered by MTV Asia in 1996. The band was quickly signed to a major label, and disbanded 2 years later after releasing 2 controversial albums. Among these was the historic "My Secret Identity" (MSI) in 1998 — likely the first full-length album in the Philippines to be released for free on the Internet by commercially signed recording artists.

Stepping away from professional music for the next eight years, A.G. graduated valedictorian (Summa Cum Laude) with a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology from San Beda Alabang. He currently holds an executive position in a multinational tech conglomerate.

In 2006, A.G. co-produced the album "A Sudden Rush of Genius" by his father — legendary Philippine multimedia artist Cesare Syjuco.

A.G. is the principal composer and instrumentalist for the experimental rock band Jack of None (www.jackofnone.net). To date, the band has released three full-length albums: 2016's "Who's Listening to Van Gogh's Ear?", 2017's "Who Shot Bukowski?", and 2020's "The Purpose of the Moon". The band also released a 4-track EP entitled "The Tattle Tale Heart", and the single "Michigan ex Machina (She Wasn't Me)".

In March 2018, A.G. was honored with the award for Best Music Producer in the eclectic category at the Independent Music Awards in New York City. Jack of None received 8 nominations and was awarded Best EP (eclectic) for "The Tattle Tale Heart".

In March 2021, A.G. released his first solo EP, "The Color of Memory", under the name Black Leather Birds. The project explored the use of his experimental rock compositions as instrumental tracks in short, conceptual releases. A music video he directed for the track "Our Angry Science" won the Best Experimental Music Video award at the 2021 Munich Music Video Awards in Munich, Germany.

A.G. currently resides in Chicago, IL with his wife, Mica, and their daughter, Muli.