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SIAN ALICE GROUP “Dazzling…Sian Ahern’s honeyed, hypnotizing voice wraps it all up together like a long golden thread.” – Chicago Reader “Eschewing typical genre pigeonholes, Sian Alice Group deliver textural, process-driven material founded on experimentation and improvisation. Think techno elements meeting jazz traits, electronica sculpted with organic precision, trance-inducing passages that enthrall, mystify and surround. If it’s band references you’re needing, fans of Growing and Deerhunter will find much to enjoy in these offerings.” – Clash Magazine “Sian Alice Group create mood songs as discrete units, each as bulletproof -- or smudgeproof -- as the band itself. Credit Sian Ahern... Here, Ahern’s glassy, emotionless voice acts as a guide, snaking through tribal percussion and grain-silo howls, until the high-hat shimmer of “Salt Water” comes to a violent, distorted close.” – Spin Sian Alice Group had quite the rookie season in 2008. From the epic 59.59 and The Dusk Line (a subdued piano and vocals only EP) to the wholeheartedly experimental Remix 12’’, the band made the scene, built up stellar stats and positioned itself as a contender to be reckoned with. They followed all this in 2009 with Troubled, Shaken Etc. - their second album of lush, minimalist, panoramic torch songs. The band hones in on a genre-busting combination of organic improvisation, process-driven experimentation and the focused strength earned from a year of extensive traveling and touring the world together. You get your minimalist trances, electronic exploration, techno thump, jazz motifs and Eastern music tropes in a joyous and complete listening experience. It’s a snapshot (or more closely, a yearbook) from an eventful 2008 that is more raw, emotional and loud than anything they’ve released thus far. Troubled, Shaken Etc. kicks off with “Love That Moves The Sun.” It’s a bouncy realization of minimalism set to the cosmos. Arpeggios (on both guitar and vibraphone) set a repetitive tone and Sian Ahern’s powerful vocals resemble the sort of expansive clouds we learned about in a 7th grade science class. “Close To The Ground” begins with a Terry Riley meets Theo Parrish figure that slowly morphs into stomp-rock territory with organic four-to-thefloor rhythmic intensity. “Vanishing” provides a unique take on techno. Rupert Clervaux’s drums are like a wild Elvin Jones who lived through the rave era, and the vocals provide angelic whole tones over the unhinged bounce. “White” is a surprise. It makes us want to re-enroll in college circa 1994, take naps on a grassy knoll and dream of the heartbreak awaiting us throughout the next two decades. Simply put the guitar interplay on this track is totally breathtaking. It’s automatic mixtape fodder. Troubled, Shaken, Etc. reveals an extremely hardworking band that is focused on process, craft and how their interpersonal relationships can serve as a catalyst to document life in an honest, original and innovative manner. The band (led on these technical issues by Clervaux) masterfully handles the production, and we can’t emphasize enough just how strong Sian Ahern’s vocals have come through. With guest spots from live mainstays (Sasha Vine, Eben Bull and label-mate Mike Bones), as well as John Coxon (Spring Heel Jack) and Graham Barton, Troubled, Shaken Etc. is a varied record with tons of collaborative hands on deck. So much stellar work in so little time… Maybe we should test Sian Alice Group for steroids. |
Catalog Number: TSR074 Released in Europe via Beautiful Happiness Tracklisting: FOR MORE INFO All Tracks Listed In Blue Are Linked To A Downloadable MP3 |