Sennen: Where the Light Gets In
After their debut mini-album Widows and a couple of singles, the Norwich four-piece Sennen have finally released their first full-length effort Where the Light Gets In. I won’t pretend I wasn’t looking forward to hearing how they had fared during their latest studio sessions - from their university days to playing various venues in their home town to their contract with Hungry Audio, the band had been wearing their shoegazing heart on their collective sleeve while honing their own distinctive sound.
I’ll get the lazy and somewhat unhelpful comparisons out of the way before reviewing the record proper: as the band’s name suggests, they owe much to shoegazing legends such as My Bloody Valentine and especially Ride, a fact that is evident when you consider how things like spacey, jangling guitars and wistful harmonised vocals are present in both this and the early efforts from the old dreampop scene. What matters here though is that Sennen have carved a niche for themselves so the comparisons I’m drawing here have a positive connotation: whether it will garner the same long-term acclaim as the likes of Nowhere I wouldn’t even hazard a guess, but this is still one of the best new UK guitar rock albums you are likely to hear this year.
What is immediately evident after listening to their earlier material is that Where the Light Gets In is more varied and focused from a songwriting perspective: the song structures show more maturity, the production is more polished and they have made good use of additional instrumentation such as strings and synthesisers to compliment their guitar-orientated sound. The opening track, the impressive single Blackout, is very guitar driven however, announcing its presence with the brooding drone of feedback, punctuated with a solid bass/percussion combo, jagged guitar chords and their trademark near-whisper vocal delivery - it has a breathless pace that gives the album a strong start. A slowdown for the middle eight gives pause for breath before a squeal of feedback and a drumroll takes the song into the final chorus - impressive and exhilerating.
Things take a sudden but not uncomfortable drop in volume and tempo for Everybody’s Loss and Your Hand in Mine, two tender ballads that show the band’s softer side. The distortion is off, notes are delivered in exquisite arpeggios and the occasional plaintive violin line drifts in and out of view while cymbal rolls swish in and out of the sonic picture; they seem to be equally comfortable with soothing soundscapes as they are with the wall of sound.
In terms of paying homage to that Kevin Shields-esque wall of sound, Just Wanted to Know delivers on the textured fuzz guitar assault - the vocals call through a torrent of overdriven chords, gradually building up in intensity to give a lengthy coda that slips into double time and concludes on a deafening crescendo of feedback-laden noise. This feeling of carefully restrained chaos is proof to me that Sennen are a force to be reckoned with…and is something to look forward to when performed live.
The diversity is once again demonstrated by Here It Is, another soft number that offers a source of recovery after the noise-rock that precedes it: keyboards, vioin and acoustic guitar carry the song along before the distorted electrics make an appearance towards the end to carry it to its uplifting conclusion. The instrumental title track takes a variation of the same melody with post-rock style volume swells, more strings and synthesised arrangements that create the most atmospheric and beautiful number of the entire album without the use of words.
Falling For You takes the record back into ballad territory but the brisk drum beat prevents the melancholic sentiment from overwhelming the hopeful. Another instrumental intermission, Sennen Enjoy Life, isn’t so much a pause for reflection as something of a fun, loose studio jam that punctuates the introspection and prevents any track feeling like filler.
A Lifetime Passed is the longest song on the record as a whole, with the chiming guitars lulling the listener into a zen-like sense of inner peace; I must admit that the timbre and style of vocals enhance the mellower songs more than the louder ones. This track and Fear Home are therefore two of those whose mood is better suited to this relaxed, harmonised delivery - it’s certainly a refreshing change from the whiny emo and shouty, mockney indie accents that are so annoyingly commonplace these days.
After the build-up in volume that marks the end of the penultimate tune the album bows out with Even Now, a fragile, meandering and emotionally-charged number that concludes the proceedings with guitar and (synthesised?) pipe organ chords drawn out at a calculated pace. It’s slow - almost glacially so - but as those vocals, keys, cymbal washes and whines of feedback fade into nothingness, patient listeners will be generously rewarded.
In Summary
Sennen’s second studio outing builds on the strengths of their first to give nods to the all-time greats such as MBV and Ride while providing enviable competition for the likes of God is an Astronaut and Mogwai, without sacrificing their individuality. In comparison with their early work it is more focused, varied and and confident; stepping effortlessly between dreampop, post-rock and all-out noise - all delivered with the assurance that this promising band are going from strength to strength. Highly recommended.
Track Listing
- Blackout
- Everybody’s Loss
- Your Hand In Mine
- Just Wanted To Know
- Here It Is
- Where The Light Gets In
- Falling For You
- Sennen Enjoy Life
- A Lifetime Passed
- Fear Home
- Even Now
Posted on June 16th, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
Thanks for the review, Martin, I’m still waiting for my copy to arrive. Serves me right for ordering at the same time as something that only just came out and ticking the ‘keep everything together’ option, lol.
Anyway, I’ve not checked out any of the recent material, so I’m interested in hearing what their ‘new direction’ is like.