True to form for the Stockholm jammers’ penchant for open structures and extended spontaneous interludes, there is a whole host of guests on their new live album, Root Jam. That’s nothing new for Siena Root, who even on their own number anywhere from a four- to a six-piece band, and whose last studio offering, Different Realities (2009), lived up to its title in terms of its diversity of approach and melding heavy riffs, jams and excursions into psychedelic and subcontinental-Asian songwriting.

Root Jam leaves space for plenty of that as well, and at nearly 92-minutes, the album is a two-disc beast. A cut like the organ-heavy “Words” reaches well over 12 minutes to end the record/set’s first half, and the whole midsection of the song is Eastern instrumentation met with killer guitar leads. There are several such passages throughout, and Siena Root know how to keep it flowing and cohesive, despite the variety they bring out of the music.

Transubstans Records was kind enough to let me host the more straightforward “The Rat” for your streaming pleasure. If you’ve never heard Siena Root before, it’s a pretty good place to start, the guest vocals adding soul to the bluesy groove of the riffs. Hope you dig it:

[mp3player width=460 height=120 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=siena-root.xml]

Root Jam is out in October on Transubstans Records. More info available at the label’s site. Here’s what they have to say about it:

Above all else, this extensive double live album is a resume of Siena Root‘s early years. This album features all the elements of the band, from their debut up to recent days. They have managed to pour the band’s dynamic energy from the stage right into this box of 91 minutes root rock. You will for sure find the good old heavy riffs, side-by-side with psychedelic vibes and groovy jams.

But there is more, much more to experience in this magnificent album. There are no less than nine guest artists featured, with a range from classical violin by Martin Stensson from Swedish radio symphonic orchestra, to legendary blues guitarist Maxi Dread. You will also find a lot of Siena Root family from the past such as Tängman and vocalists Oskar and Sanya performing songs on a new level. On top of it all you get previously unreleased material and two rare acoustic tracks that reveal a new side of the band. The album will also be released on LP by Headspin Records.

Tags: Siena Root, Stockholm, Sweden, Transubstans

This entry was posted on Monday, September 26th, 2011 at 12:16 pm and is filed under audiObelisk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.