Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewer: Trent Depue |
It doesn’t take any longer than a few chords of Sirens of Titan’s opening track ‘Watershed’ to realize that you’re going to be in for quite a treat on this, the debut album from Seattle-based Amateur Radio Operator. Immediately captivating, and the record’s best track, it sets a precedent that, though never wholly matched, instills a sense of wonder that will keep the listener guessing what comes next for the entirety of the record.
Amateur Radio Operator possess two distinct qualities that are the driving force behind Sirens of Titan, which combines aspects of alternative-country and rock. Firstly, the haunting vocals of lead singer Mark Johnson, whose voice bears a striking resemblance to that of Neil Young, and second, the distinctive musical work by Jenna Conrad and Kevin Suggs on cello and pedal steel. And while both of these instruments serve to add a degree of richness to material that has a generally darker atmosphere to it, the rest of the musicianship is not without its own charm, even if it’s not always as impacting.
As a whole, Sirens of Titan is magnetic in both musical originality and lyricism. One of the verses from the record’s title track states that, “A midnight DJ plays a song from her favorite unknown band / and it wakes you up from your winter dream / and brings the dead air back to life.†Autobiographical in a sense, Sirens of Titan possesses all the qualities to do just that.
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