Sian Alice Group – Troubled, Shaken Etc. – Album Review

Much like seasonal transitions signify the cyclical and unavoidable movement from life to death, a truckload of high yielding wealth and beauty often goes unnoticed during the interim months.   The constantly melting snow sends water back to the sea.  Trees die and buckle in the hot sun of summer, and the bristling air of fall whips from west to east carrying remnants of harvest.  In short, we know when the season’s are shifting, but for many of us, that’s the only time we notice that things are always changing, moving, and spiraling beneath the feet of our daily walking.  In much the same way, Sian Alice Group’s upcoming release, Troubled, Shaken Etc. is slippery and doesn’t limit itself to four easily accessible definitions.  Things are constantly in motion, taking listeners through a gauntlet of soaring highs and dark lows of sometimes breathtaking beauty and snarling ambient power.  Contemplative structures and rich compositions are the band’s forte and for the weakly observant, it’ll at least serve as a dream-catcher to put you to sleep at night.  To those with more discerning tastes, this pops off as something that’s entirely dependent upon listener mood.  To Ahern, the tracks are deeply important, oftentimes urgent, and for the discerning audience, her journey becomes their own.

At the core root of this release is Sian Alice Ahern’s vocal performance.  She’s chameleonic but spookily familiar from track one through thirteen, taking listeners through a myriad of styles and delivery modes.  As with Sian Alice Group’s previous release, 59.59, Ahern’s gripping style is omnipresent but never dominant, shifting from far away plaintive wails in tracks like “White” and “Troubled, Shaken Etc.” to grittier and jazzy growls in “Vanishing.”  Intricately designed distance and dissonance are laced all over her delivery, to the point of lock, load, and release catharsis.  She’s singing to herself through most of the record, and the introversion is mind numbingly startling even on multiple listens.  If you’re an indie fan, you’ll no doubt recall the hoopla surrounding the O+S release earlier this year.  Both of these albums veer into similar areas, but Sian Alice Group boasts a bit more in the varietal value.  She’s not exactly attempting to startle or try something new, but instead lull listeners in a jarring way.  The mid-90’s pigeonhole is a dangerous prospect here, because the purposeful slight variations in dissonance and volume are, at times, captivating and don’t allow the decade-planting idea to hold quite enough water.  Even if it did, I loved K’s Choice and I’m not going to be a prick about it.

What’s wildly unique is the oddball pairing that Ahern’s delivery holds with the music itself.  Mismatched socks still feel pretty good because they’re made with the same fabric, but the seemingly dated vocal deliveries are bridged by an incredibly full-bodied sound of psychedelic synth driven arrangement.  There are huge nods to Rupert Clervaux’s knowledge of classical styles.  Swirling and frenetic piano arpeggios pepper the record, and the electro-orchestral crescendo in the album’s closer, “Salt Water” point to the fact that this collective knows a bit more about music than you or I.  At times, tracks seriously dig into the importance of repetitive entrancement.  “Airlock” is an expansive track where nothing is loud, yet everything is still full with sound.  Short guitar fills, quiet horns, and softly pulsating synth riffs keep things alive and moving.  Things stop and slow, but never stagnate.  Industrial hums in “Through Air Over Water” serve as a backdrop, and stop and start instrumentation is in perfect unison with Ahern’s vocals.  Three times while writing this review, I found myself nodding off.  The swirls and piano arpeggios lull and electrify in many tracks, namely in “Grow Again, Repeat” where largeness and wicked off-kilter soundscapes crawl under your skin.

It’s important not to classify Troubled, Shaken Etc. as retro ambient, however.  “Close to the Ground” is a seven minute epic at track four, with angular shifts and changes in both mode and delivery.  Hand-shakers are oddly up front and center and tribal infused percussion evokes a galloping horseride.   The consistency serves to add to the emphasis on repetition, but also points to a larger understanding of musical composition.  Timpanies, bongos, and quirky well-placed synthesizers flourish this song into echoing grandeur.  Typically, as with most tracks, it eases out as quietly as it enters.  It’s difficult to call the track the album’s peak, but at it’s close, you’re either lulled into the trance or at the very least, intrigued.

We’re well aware that this album isn’t going to be everyone’s bag, but The Social Registry has a definite asset here with Sian Alice group.  It’s difficult to pinpoint why the album’s so familiar but also refreshing.  I’d argue this album is entirely dependent on mood and connection.  Ahern is obviously not abundantly concerned with her audience leaving exhausted.  On the other hand, there’s something that lulls and draws the listener in quickly.  It’s quite possible that the album’s value will be in it’s emotional connection with listeners.  For whatever it’s worth, Ahern’s intelligently designed album is what I seem to need this evening.  It hits the shelves on August 4th, but you can pre-order it now through our link.

Sian Alice Group – White

Sian Alice Group – Close to the Ground

Pre-Order Trouble, Shaken Etc. at Insound Now!