Sapat and the SB - "Seed and Surgery"
(free103point9 Audio 2004, Dispatch series #15)
Sapat and the SB - "Seed and Surgery"
(free103point9 Audio 2004, Dispatch series #15)
Uploaded to Aural Innovations: July 2004
Well then, I will start by saying that this live CD is a two-track affair, and after seven minutes of the first track, ‘Sapat’, I began to wonder to myself will it do anything else than noise. The term NOISE, from their point of view will be structured noise, but from mine it could possible be structured a bit more, because to me it sounds as a School Jazz Band might sound when warming up their reeds and assorted other nozzles used for blowing.
As far as I can tell, without promo material, I can say that there seems to be a lot of them in this band. On ‘Sapat’ I can hear an array of brass instruments, drums and other clanging things, and some form of keyboard playing organ-esq sounds, and it sounds like some form of Hair Pie from Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart, but I may add that sadly it is not on the same level as the Captain.
‘Sapat’ is a 13 odd minute noise track that just keeps droning and droning and droning without much respite. I know that there are a lot of folk who love this type of stuff, but on the whole, there could be something that I am not getting? Because to me it is not very good noise music and almost anyone could in fact do it without any previous knowledge of music or indeed playing an instrument. All that you have to do is blow and bang anything in sight, within no relevant time frame (e.g., 10/17).
Pink Floyd are well known for epic noise pieces, and in a fashion track 2, ‘The SB’, could be termed in this vein more than the first track can, and I can say that I somehow like this track better even though it is the same noise angle without respite. But I could add that this track to me moves and is done in a Tangerine Dream journey style, and it is better because of the fact I hear no brass stuff on it.
'The SB’ is a 22 odd minute track and it plays heavily on the keyboard and synth sound, as well as feedback style noise guitar, and to me it is much more relaxed and floating than ‘Sapat’ was. I can mention Pink Floyd here as a focus of the sound, but I will add that Pink Floyd usually structure their stuff more than this, because as I sit half way through ‘The SB’ I am thinking to myself that the last 10 minutes will be practically the same as the first 12 were? And they were, but I still think that this track is the better of the two. One, because of the fact that it has no trumpets or saxophones etc, and two, because it is more keyboard heavy and it is on that mellow Floydy trip, and I just guess that I am more inclined to listen to this type of thing rather than the abstract jazz affair.
So in conclusion, if atmospheric noise music is your angle, and you also like stuff that is basically the same from start to finish without any change in direction or cause, then I would suggest that you take a listen to Seed and Surgery. But on the other hand, if you don’t... don’t.
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Reviewed by Albert Pollard