SIINAI

Listening diary 9th April, 2022: Moonface with Siinai - Heartbreaking Bravery (art rock, 2012)

Spencer Krug's finest moment, and for the first 20 or so minutes, this is amongst the most anthemic and emotionally loaded indie rock I can think of. The matchmaking here is wonderful - Siinai are clearly a band with an ear for groove and texture, with their music as a group being vastly instrumental. They hold this album together alone, particularly in the integration of motorik beats with alt-rock bombast, but Krug takes it to another level. Wavering and passionate, some of these vocal lines are absolutely deserving of the album's title. It is a pity then that it does completely lose steam - the first four tracks flow seamlessly and never let up on the energy or the intensity, with a post-punk melancholy somewhere inside. The rest of the album finds bits and pieces of high quality but never quite reaches those lofty heights again, and perhaps is why I don't feel like putting it on again whenever I'm done with it. But with towering melodies like the ones atop "Yesterday's Fire", I can't help but love it at least a bit.

8.1 (6th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

Listening diary 13th February 2021: Moonface & Siinai - My Best Human Face (art rock, 2016)

Although I listened to Wolf Parade once or twice many years ago, this project, in particular this album's predecessor, have been my genuine introduction to Spencer Krug and his marvelous voice. A collaboration between a known indie frontman and a krautrock band from Finland may seem totally bonkers but it's a marriage made in heaven as far as I'm concerned - the rhythm-driven instrumentation perfectly suits Krug's oddball vocal style and the band check some really unique influences and sounds throughout the two records they've done together. This one isn't quite as good as Heartbreaking Bravery but it's a worthwhile addition to their catalogue, and further proof to me that krautrock is underrated as an influence on modern indie.

7.1 (3rd listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

Fun but not funny, intense but not melodramatic, clean but not sterile, groundbreaking by enhancing what everybody else overlooked of the synth wave sound and renewing its natural thrill without rippin´ off no one.

Poetic without a single word spoken nor pastorale cliches, focused yet free flowing, retro yet modern, intelligent without bragging, heartfelt yet detached, varied without expendable tracks nor fillers & straight forward but non stop creative..

Siinai´s Supermarket (2014) an 8 track album, is the kind of 4 stars work that will be discovered 10 years from now and people might wonder why was it not praised enough in its time. The answer is simple, it is not pompous nor fashionable less unaccessible yet it is quiet far from the mainstream, (even the Prog one), market, which it silently mocks by the way.

It goes deep into an adventurous ride on each of its tracks with no kind of buffers or over the top solutions and it turns out quiet inviting and emotionally contagious

****

As you know genre and style labeling is just a way of trying to keep order in a world naturally chaotic. Having say that don´t expect Krautrock as such which was like the closest sub-genre address Siinai´s musical language is closer to in the Prog world but on the outside lands this Finnish ensemble is tagged as a psychedelic/experimental/ambient/trance/electronic/drone/Krautrock band .

I myself keep them filed under my Electronic music catalogue and this work if anything is Progressive Electronic but still at walking distance from its current PA location. The kind of work which actually is (another) living proof that you can update and be part of the inevitable evolution of electronic music whithout plagiarazing nobody´s idioms.

Siinai´s Sykli (2017) a 5 track ("instrumental") album offers a very personal approach of what the Berlin School/Bay Area school and Krautrock should be sounding nowadays, without the untalented way of rehashing old formulas or "rediscovering" fashionable "new flanged" quirky musical solutions, not this work but opposite to that, it accomplishes its heights by pushing those same formulas outside their constantly abused comfort zones thus finding, via its music compositions, unplowed pathways where the grass is greener, uncut and quiet welcoming.

Each track delivers a creative, contemporary & original mood and a kind of conceptual take on a different electronic music style, adding up that their well recognizable musical language finds a renewed energetic feel which turns out to be refreshing, upfront and ultimately enticing as exciting .

Its weak spot (track 5), is not that because it is bad, mediocre or unimaginative, it is because its siblings are all just excellent.

****/*

Siinai is a band from the krautrock genre in Finland, but the style is also close to post-rock, which means they are combined. The band released its first album in 2011 and released five albums until last year's Sykli. Their music has a complex, intensive architecture, but at the same time it is also minimalist, often using keyboards and synthesizers to create a psychedelic and space sense. Popol Vuh or Neu! is their source of inspiration. Last year's "Sykli" was filled with repetitive simple melody, but these melodies were overshadowed by the broad sense created by electronic music. Just like the black hole on the cover of the album, the listener's heart was attracted to the black hole. Excessive but nowhere. The opening Temppeli is a model, but the length of eight minutes is like a musical note. But afterwards, the tracks were dexterous and there were sudden changes. As the final guitar gradually became heavy, the music was warm and sweet, but the mysterious, quirky and supernatural feelings of krautrock were slightly lost, but it was still a good album. Four stars push it.

"Sykli" has been launched in 2017 as the newest album by a Finnish Krautrock star SIINAI. Their first album "Olympic Games" features sticky repetitive simple phrases flooded with electronics and sound of depth (my love), and sounds like this "Sykli" might follow in the similar vein, slightly added with more electronic sound treatment. Just like the appearance of the album sleeve pic, we would feel ourselves getting absorbed into the centre of the hole, Siinai inner world. Interesting in both visual and auditory manners.

The third track "Ananda" or the last "Europe" sounds more of psychedelic rock drenched in deep, heavy guitar riffs based upon strict rhythmic vibes, but contrary to that, the beginning shot "Tempperi" and the following titled one "Sykli" are exactly close to pure electronic. As especially for the latter one, we can find similar movement to Manuel G'ttsching's "Inventions For Electric Guitar" plus more dramatic, dreamy synthesizer-oriented soundscape. Not complicated nor dissonant but mysteriously heartwarming, mind-opening. Please get immersed in the core of their sound theatre.

The Olympic Games as your conceptual music composition assignment. Bring your best.

Many may be the reasons why Siinai chose this athletic concept, but let me skip on to where it matters, the music.

An 8 track release with all kind of epic cliches, new fresh ideas, some extraordinary sections and their according highlights.

SIINAI's "Olympic Games", 2011, is somewhat quiet diverse and not that tupsy-turvy psychedelic (nevertheless quiet experimental), as to fit the Krautrock tagging solely. There are close connections to the 70's and 80's synth/rock/pop era, as to more Progressive Electronic influences in the Berlin electronic music school's vein, as to the Post Rock/Math Rock's beat and guitar works.

But beyond these possible labelings, Siinai possesses a very personal focus and even from the start, (this their first release according to this page), a quiet defined musical language, which adds up a lot in this world of "sound-alikes".

What works out, works out perfectly, far from the Olympic's symbolism alone, which by the way, everyone who has witnessed this event has his own treasurable, unmemorable or indifferent thoughts about, therefore anyone can relate to the music without the Olympic Games's previous knowledge.

Some bronze, a bit more of silver and some real gold.

***3.5 PA stars.

"My Best Human Face", 2016 by Moonface & Siinai sets quiet clear the direction Moonface wants to lead his highly refined, yet subtly raw contemporary Rock/Krautrock/Krautpop language, which if by geographical situation precise could be named Finnish rock or Finnrock to cut it short.

So true to this principle, all compositions are vocal driven. Music composition wise their multitude of influences are quiet well absorved therefore they offer in return various unique forms of musical expression compressed into one.

In able to invite possible "enjoyers" of this release, I will throw out some names and then expect you to either become intrigued or oblivious.

Imagine a mixture between David Sylvian, The Cure, Roxy Music, The Clash, GAM, The Beloved, Nick Cave, The Waterboys and the strident spirit of early Krautrock bands, now shake well, filter and pour.

Although one may get the idea that such a blend might be unfriendly or unfocused, this band has, as I already mentioned, assimilated their personal influences up to the point of offering a fresh new Rock (underlining ROCK) language with the unmistakable Moonface's romantic/political focus and highly emotional tones.

*** 3.5, on the rise , PA stars.

Amazing!

Turn back to the 80's at its best New Romantic synth- era, faithfully replayed and re-modeled into the 21st century with refined retro-electronics, with a keen and perfect balance between raw electronic experimentation and straight forward creative dance rock fast and slow rhythms and melodies.

The full of emotion/ emotionless voice of Moonface (Spencer Krug), may remind you of Gary Numan's, John Foxx's, Peter Murphy's, Robert Smith or even Bowie's apocalyptic love intonations , so re-visiting this doomsday's heartbreaking atmospheres feels so comfortable and then again fresh as new.

After all central europe and the UK sheltered the best of the 80's underground and above ground synth-wave movement's musicians, but then again not exactly from Finland and Siinai comes from Finland so expect "FinRock" to fit the KrautRock Prog-labeling.

Siinai's, 2012, "Heartbreaking Bravery" (with Moonface), is above all perfectly written song by song to the point where harvoring past 80's stylings is credible as it also feeds from other electronic names, so blending influences like Bowie, U2 , The Cure or Underworld with Ultravox or the early and later Depeche Mode, or the irreverent The B-52's or the shamefully forgotten The Beloved or the well known Bahaus makes sense.

Uplifting and downlifting 80's synth/styles at its best.

****4 PA stars.

Krautrock from Finland eh? Want to hear something else that's rather strange? This is a concept album about shopping in a supermarket. Or as the band puts it... "A soundtrack for the supermarket nations". Haha, okay i'll bite. This is my first taste of this band and I was left with a lot of positive impressions. The music reminded me at times of LA DUSSELDORF, HARMONIA and NEU! and at other times we get a lot of electronic beats mixed in with some heavy atmospheric sections. A pretty cool album overall.

"En-Trance" makes me laugh because how many of you have walked into a supermarket with all of those bright lights while being arm in arm with Buddha, yeah me too. And the title suggests that to me as we begin our shopping experience. What an opening sound as we get these powerful, dark and pulsating electronic waves as other spacey sounds join in. From the sounds of this i'm guessing we are very paranoid and stoned as we enter our destination. "Shopping Trance" has these pulsating electronic sounds with drums and bass as spacey sounds explode over top throughout. A change after 6 1/2 minutes as the beats stop briefly but then it kicks back in quickly. A strange trumpet experience is next before 7 1/2 minutes then it winds down to the end. "AEIOUYAO" sounds like a normal song almost including male vocals in the background. This one reminds me of the German bands I mentioned in the intro. Female vocals before 2 minutes and it's very uplifting before 3 minutes.

"Jonotus/Queue" has atmosphere to it that is so powerful I feel like I need to hang on to something tight. Like a thousand mellotron choirs flooding the soundscape. And it stays this way throughout! Clearly we are having one of those freaky moments in the supermarket. "Prisma" has this deep atmosphere to it that pulses as a relaxed beat joins in and this swirling sound. "Smiling Cashier" means we are near the end of our shopping experience. Deep drum and bass sounds with background synths to start and this strange sound like a dog barking but it's processed and in slow motion. What was that? It's back again after 2 1/2 minutes. Hey maybe it's the cashier talking to us and this is what we are hearing 'cause we are ripped. Spacey synths dominate later, some piano on this one as well. "Vasikka" has these swelling synths, an electronic beat, drums and more in this fairly energetic piece. So much going on here. "Exit" says it all doesn't it? The synths bring HARMONIA, NEU! and La DUSSELDORF to mind as we get a plodding beat and even female vocal melodies at one point.

I really enjoyed this record, these guys are clearly influenced by the Krautrock scene and i'll be checking out at least one of their earlier albums if not both in the future. Great album!