Sirens of Titan – S/T (self-released)
By Will Schwartz
February 13, 2008
Minneapolis quartet Sirens of Titan are probably one of the best female-fronted bands I’ve ever heard. A bluesy sort of sludge rock with the occasional syncopated twist or turn, the sound is groovy indeed, if a little strange. The musicians can clearly play, as the occasional jarring unison passage will remind you, but it’s nice to see folks stepping outside of verse-chorus-verse once in a while.
“Dancing Methuselah” is an instantly memorable opener with its urgent spacey crunch and soaring vocal hooks. I like that the drummer is unafraid to funk things up, like on the roaring “Lothario” or vaguely Clutch-sounding “Hang Me Twice”. However, the guitars always pick some weird, vaguely dissonant progression or weird time change that puts this band in a more unique area. Singer Felicia’s got some serious pipes behind those anguished roars and quiet drawls, without which bluesy crawlers like “Dogsbody Blues” would fall short.
At times more hard rock than metal, but always heavy and covered in crunchy slime, the adventurous song structures help keep things interesting enough so that you don’t feel like you’ve heard this stuff before. The crazed, almost psychotic swing (and entertaining lyrics) of “Thetan Audit” will remind the listener they’re in unfamiliar territory, but in a good way. Check this album out, especially if you like good singers.
Visit the Sirens of Titan website at www.sirensoftitan.org
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