Oddly enough, I had just finished listening to a noise rock album filled with fuzzed out guitars when “Surf Simulation” – an album by Polish band Sea Saw -added yet more in the way of fuzzed out guitars to my day. Would this turn out to be a good or bad thing?
As it turns out, this was a good thing for Sea Saw took their own particular brand of fuzzed out guitars and added then to a mix full of post punk angularity, downright intense drumming and almost theatrical vocals to make the kind of music that might pass you by the first time but will most certainly get you the second time that you hear it. Curiously, despite the aforementioned plus points, it was the swooping synths - performed by Dawid Leszczyński - that provided the incandescent material that really set this band’s songs on fire. You might not think that some analogue style synth sounds from the days of retro would make a significant difference, as they are positively trendy these days, but those melodies of an automaton on a mission were the perfect counterpoint to the rough edges that the tempo changes and bursts of full power intensity introduced.
The art is strong in this band. That much is certain about Sea Saw and “Surf Simulation” provides enough evidence that this is a band unafraid of tempo changes or, indeed, letting a song ramble on until the world goes all swirly. Add in a dash of that all important oddball charm that few bands have these days and you have an album that is actually interesting.
Best song: “Penny Whistle”
Verdict: Adventurous and complex
Available on compact disc from Bandcamp if you don’t do downloads.