The second full-length from the
Sian Alice Group
on
Social Registry
is a logical extension of its
59.59
debut.
Troubled, Shaken Etc
is equally ambitious, yet it's much more deeply focused as a recording than its predecessor. Vocalist/songwriter
Sian Ahern
and her London-based sextet have carefully constructed this 13 track, 53-minute set to draw the listener down into a hushed, deceptively minimal soundworld that paradoxically demands the listener's attention albeit graciously. The whispering repetitive guitars, marimbas, and piano on
"Love That Moves the Sun"
create a sparkling, shimmering sonic beauty before she begins singing. Her voice is so lithe and slight that the listener, seduced by the song's atmosphere, is compelled to listen with concentration to every word. This is followed by the slightly darker, droning, yet no less gorgeous
"Airlock,"
that in some ways is reminiscent of
Yo La Tengo
's attempt at atmospheric pop. But the song unfolds so much more tentatively and deliberately that when a muted trumpet enters about a minute in, it's as if the listener expected it all along, as it introduces the rest of the subtle surprises in the track. The melody in
"Through Air Over Water"
touches on the band's fascination with the British folk of
Fairport Convention
, but it is also graced by the dark kiss of the early
Velvet Underground
. But the surprises aren't all subtle. The all-too-brief
"Longstrakt"
carries within it a groove that recalls both the Motorik Krautrock of
Neu!
as well as the percussive -- and progressive -- heaviness of
Pierre Moerlen
's
Gong
.
"Close to the Ground"
is its mirror image: over seven minutes in length -- making it the longest entry here -- it walks a line between droning free folk, retro-psych worship,
Lindsey Buckingham
's more adventurous melodic moments, and the indie experimental feel of the
Fuck Buttons
"Vanishing"
is a funky, spacy, psychedelic rock tune with soul-jazz breakbeats. The bottom line is
is an album: paced, sequenced, structured, and produced as such. It's utterly lovely, feminine, and subtly adventurous. The listener is given a soft, quiet, sonic bedroom and allowed to dwell in there, a mental place where time is suspended and the outside world vanishes entirely, for close to an hour. ~ Thom Jurek