Sianspheric
The Sound And Colour Of The Sun
(Constellation)
Ever since My Bloody Valentine released Loveless way back in the day, bands have been trying to re-create those lovely, swirling textures of wailing guitars that somehow managed to sound quite lovely in the process. While there have definitely been some bad attempts, there have also been some bands that have managed to come up things that really aren't that bad. Sianspheric is one of those groups, and they pull different elements from several different bands (including MBV, Slowdive, and even Ride) into their dreamy, yet sometimes fairly powerful sound.
The group actually starts things out with a little more noise than usual. "Audiophone" opens the album with some softly swirling guitars and vocals that sound like Neil Halstead over a pitter-patter of cymbals, but with about 2 and half minutes left, the group cranks up the volume several notches over the course of several measures until the track is completely hazy with washes of guitars. It's an excellent opener, and the second track of "To Myself" doesn't let down either. Sounding a bit like an earlier Verve release (or a later one drenched in reverb), the track puts a little bit more emphasis on the vocals, but doesn't relent any with the swirling noise. On "Tous Les Soirs," the group lulls you into a false sense of security before letting loose with another squall.
After a short instrumental and the somewhat overlong "QFD," the group tackles a Smiths cover with "Radiodiffusion" and the slight change in their sound comes as a nice breath about midway through the album. Instead of turning the guitars up to ten, it takes on more of a dreamy pop feel (with a bass lead and guitars that strum light drifting melodies around it). By the end, the track has morphed into another Smiths song "Please Please Let Me Get What I Want," and the group gives it a completely spaced-out treatment that even more reveals the track for the instrumental beauty that it is. "Slightly Less Sunshine" again bathes everything in a warm feedback bath, while "Ending Is Better Than Mending" finds the group taking a bit more a standard approach to things (while at times still threatening to let the noise win the fight).
One of the best tracks on the release, though, is the second-to-last of "So Blue." With some pedal steel providing a woozy, western feel and drums that echo alongside other strums of guitars, the vocals are really just another musical element as they drift in and out of the mix. As mentioned in the first paragraph, Sianspheric has created an interesting album that should give shoegazer fans (or those who like some of the aforementioned groups) something to salivate over for awhile. While there are a few spots where it sounds like they're repeating something done earlier, it's still an interesting 10-track release.
Rating: 7
