Sennen – Age Of Denial (Minty Fresh)
Taking their name from a track on Ride’s 1991 EP Today Forever, Sennen wastes no time declaring their genre allegiance, indelibly associating themselves with the current shoegaze revival. And these UK guitar-slingers clearly evoke the hazy, distorted sounds of that early-90s musical movement as well, sounding at various points on this LP like not only Ride but also The Cocteau Twins, The Boo Radleys, My Bloody Valentine, and other groups to which the bizarre, linguistically opaque genre tag of “shoegaze” was originally affixed. The thing that makes this album worth your time, and elevates Sennen above the level of mere pastiche, is the undeniable talent that their songwriting displays. The title track opens the album with a bang, and runs the risk of giving Age Of Denial first-song syndrome (in which the opening track is so good that it overshadows everything that follows). Fortunately, it’s followed by the less uptempo but just as catchy “With You,” which leads right into “A Little High,” a steadily building burner that is my current pick for the album’s overall highlight. As the running order progresses, Sennen eases into a more ambient, ethereal middle section, at which point the influence of The Cocteau Twins and Slowdive takes over from the post-Dinosaur Jr afterburn that drove the earlier songs. One thing that dominates the entire LP, though, is the increased pop sensibility that has been common to all the best bands in the current shoegaze revival trend–think Silversun Pickups, or the lesser-known (but still excellent) UK group Fields. Without seeming uncomfortably commercial, Sennen nonetheless manage to insert truly memorable chorus melodies into almost all of the songs here, making this album an essential acquisition for all fans of pop music played on distorted guitars.
Sennen – Age Of Denial (Minty Fresh)
Taking their name from a track on Ride’s 1991 EP Today Forever, Sennen wastes no time declaring their genre allegiance, indelibly associating themselves with the current shoegaze revival. And these UK guitar-slingers clearly evoke the hazy, distorted sounds of that early-90s musical movement as well, sounding at various points on this LP like not only Ride but also The Cocteau Twins, The Boo Radleys, My Bloody Valentine, and other groups to which the bizarre, linguistically opaque genre tag of “shoegaze” was originally affixed. The thing that makes this album worth your time, and elevates Sennen above the level of mere pastiche, is the undeniable talent that their songwriting displays. The title track opens the album with a bang, and runs the risk of giving Age Of Denial first-song syndrome (in which the opening track is so good that it overshadows everything that follows). Fortunately, it’s followed by the less uptempo but just as catchy “With You,” which leads right into “A Little High,” a steadily building burner that is my current pick for the album’s overall highlight. As the running order progresses, Sennen eases into a more ambient, ethereal middle section, at which point the influence of The Cocteau Twins and Slowdive takes over from the post-Dinosaur Jr afterburn that drove the earlier songs. One thing that dominates the entire LP, though, is the increased pop sensibility that has been common to all the best bands in the current shoegaze revival trend–think Silversun Pickups, or the lesser-known (but still excellent) UK group Fields. Without seeming uncomfortably commercial, Sennen nonetheless manage to insert truly memorable chorus melodies into almost all of the songs here, making this album an essential acquisition for all fans of pop music played on distorted guitars.
