Sianspheric
There's Always Someplace You'd Rather Be
Sonic Unyon Records

This album comes from one of my favorite Canadian bands. The EP, a follow up to their first CD Somnium is a must-have addition to anyone's record collection. There is a lot of white noise. Somnium was considerably less harsh sounding, but don't let it scare you away because the magic that is Sianspheric is still very much alive and kicking on this EP.

The introduction of solid white sound fades gently into All On Standby which swooshes and jingles and coos like no other band can. Without An Ounce Of Pretension groans and squeaks into space slowly and mystically. The sounds are haunting and eerie. It would be a fitting soundtrack to floating in space or exploring a cave, gazing at deep crystal blue water in spooky rock formations. I'm feeling better rings behind gentle acoustic guitar, a mixture of deep, lush, pedal noises and twanging strings, and then sounds quite a bit like Without An Ounce.. for a while. This vocal-less high-ringing fuzz is different from the kind of melodic swirling, fluid sounds of Somnium but no-less beautiful and hypnotic. Eight Hundred Mixer starts to sound more like rock and on Nothing Stands we get to hear Steve Peruzzi's full, ineffably mellow, perfectly-tuned vocals. Sian range from fast-paced moody noise to a slower, more characteristic sound, and we become aware that all is well in the mystical universe of Sianspheric again.

Copyright © 1998 Laura Bowman