 What would've possibly happened when a bunch of
hippies from the late 60s were suddenly exposed to the greatness of
Deep Purple and Captain Beyond, and said “Ah, fuck it”? The result would've sounded something like Siena Root, although these Swedes are a
current band.
Their hippie romp rears its ugly,
hairy, smelly head on the second song Waiting for the Sun, which has
this sitar bit that almost sounds like a national integration song
done by an Indian band, but the rest of it is just classic heavy. And
the classic heavy is what makes this band tick. There are these solid
stratocaster power-chord based riffs over punchy drum grooves, an
organ backing and the vocalist who sounds like an effiminate Glenn
Hughes or David Byron. The band goes from these heavy classic parts
to the dark calm melodies and to some cleverly executed jammy bits.
The power of the groove here is
undeniable. Take Almost There for example. What starts off like a
classic funky hard rock melody with a brilliant driving drum groove
and vocal lines that leave a lot of room for the rest of the band to
do their thing in style. Some of these keyboard flourishes will
really please those who dig the classic work of Jon Lord and Ken
Hensley. The song breaks into a slow blues groove from which point
this would end up being a brilliant display of dramatic see-saw trip
early 70s style.
Something like Wishing for More brings
in a more upbeat shuffle to the table while still keeping it heavy
and rocking, though more American sounding. The change of pace helps, and
the call-and-response when the lead break begins, the sweet drum
sound and the extra touch that the harmonica brings in make this a
very cool song mid-way through this album. So you've got that, and
you follow it up with a dark sounding The Summer is Old, parts of
which has a vibe that reminds me of Moonchild by King Crimson, what
with the atmosphere and the flute, but it peaks with some classy
Black Sabbath type heavy in a great display of contrast. The whole
song is like early Crimso jamming with early Sabbath, with Jon Lord
guesting, and it really can't get much better than that. Pick of the
album for me.
They return to a more enthusiastic and
Jethro Tull-like The Break of Dawn before going for a truly awesome
epic ending with Long Way from Home. Far from the Sun is a very cool
album by Siena Root. Great sound, superb songs and stunning
production.
Label: Transubstans Records
Year of Release: 2008
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