There's a ton of atmospheric instrumental rock bands out there, with output ranging all over the place. Even still, there isn't one band like Richmond, VA's SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA. Their latest opus, "An Ocean Without Water", takes listeners on a hellacious and melancholy journey through the desert, with a sound made up of all sorts of influences like blues, country and kraut rock. The basis of this sound is what can best be described as electric blues guitar ambience, similar to what was employed in the soundtrack to the Johnny Depp movie "Dead Man", and it's just as effective here. Building on that basis, we've got harmonica wails, fuzz guitar, synth… basically, everything but the kitchen sink. But wait… synth? Don't worry - absolutely zero cheese factor involved. The synth actually adds a priceless mysticism factor to this album, as opposed to a "cowboys and aliens" clash of ideas.

While by no means is "An Ocean Without Water" a casual listen, it does manage to be considerably more accessible than much of its competition. The drums are generally present throughout, giving the album a sense of methodology and not "let's play one chord for two minutes". As far as the music composition themselves, it's tight, thoughtful, and full of - gasp! - hooks! Believe it or not, there are plenty of moments that the listener will actually walk away from and remember, from the tragic blues of "Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground" to the rising crescendo of "Blood Alone Does Not a Father Make" to the eerie church bells in the outro of "The Sheltering Sky". An unbelievable amount of effort went into this album, making it well worth the time of anyone who wants to escape from their otherwise comfy, air conditioned and humdrum existence. Highly recommended.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: www.syarva.com

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Blood Alone Does Not A Father Make

RELATED ITEMS: No related articles at this time.