...Music To Play In Squat...Some bands happen for a reason. Local folk ensemble Saintseneca describes their formation as “a series of fortunate accidents.”
Singer/songwriter Zac Little recalled the days when he and some friends were making music in his apartment before Chroma Kid, Little’s former post-rock band, was scheduled to have its first gig.
The young band – all fresh out of college – has since become one of the most active in the city, conjuring an intelligent, fiery racket from a variety of stringed instruments. Two EPs and four mini-tours (in a two-door hatchback) later, their debut full-length album Last is now on the shelves.
The album’s 12 tracks, none lasting more than three and a half minutes, are all the more intriguing for their brevity. The four-piece manages to pack a punch or tug at the heartstrings in each, whether via the frantic strumming and clackity-clack percussion in “The Worst Days” or the mournful CSNY-style vocal delivery in “Shipwrecked.” On the sparse ballad “Beasts,” Little stands alone and displays impressive command of his husky, warbling tenor. The cutting voice that slightly belies his rail-thin frame is responsible for the biting effectiveness of such clever turnarounds as, “I saw the light and it burned my eyes out/Nothing is wrong until you find yourself out,” from the track “On or No.” It’s the kind of record that leaves its bittersweet flavors in your mouth long after the chords have ceased.
WMC Fest - Saintseneca from Weapons of Mass Creation on Vimeo.
