Sunday, June 21, 2009

Saxon Shore - It Doesn’t Matter



Saxon Shore
It Doesn’t Matter
©2009 Independent
www.saxonshore.com

Waiting for this to release was like being a kid on Christmas Eve waiting to get at the presents in the morning. As a post-rock group, hailing originally from my own regional backyard, Saxon shore has progressed in maturity. The only time I saw them was a double gig with Denison Witmer. Backing him, they were ever so restrained, polished, and haunting in their support. Unleashing in their own set, they were monsters at developing song structure. I fell in love with the whole post-rock genre at this concert. It was like listening to an orchestrated series of concertos, except now with electric instrumentation and extremely powerful in effect.

“It Doesn’t Matter” delves down the road already traveled, except with some twists. A female vocalist, Caroline (www.myspace.com/caroline), like a siren from a fairytale, is included on a couple of songs. “This Place” has the feel of a Cocteau Twins song, while “Sustained Combustion” is more Euro and driving using BGV’s to enhance it. The characteristic crescendo/decrescendo building and falling of what stood out on their 2005’s “The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore” is evident here as well on the opening track, “Nothing Changes”, “What Keeps Us Up” and “Tokyo 412 am”. Because of the unbridled passion and complex joy (“Bar Clearing Good Times”) that leaps from this disc, this shows their continued maturity in this particular genre.

If fairness in the market were taken into account, and the last dying breaths of the dinosaur industry were extinguished, Saxon Shore would be more recognized by more than the niche crowd. They deserve more than just recognition.

10 of 10 clicks
thecannyshark
June 2009

No comments: