At W&H, we've already had our collective ears pricked up by the Hackpen label via the mighty CAYTO, but now they're at it again with another ace discovery from north of the border, namely SMALL ENCLOSED AREA.
SEA are a bunch of wonderfully powerful, tune-stuffed reprobates who hail from Elgin from the far north of Scotland and "Quintana" is their debut 4-track EP. Apparently, its' release has been delayed for a few months due to some nebulous hiccup, but that's immaterial. Any time is a good time to get acquainted with SEA.
"Samoflange" leads off, making it immediately clear that SEA are good with both dynamics and atmosphere. The track bursts into life with no-nonsense chiming guitars reminding of early Chameleons and vocalist Keith Milne managing to be edgy and soothing at once. The whole thing get wrapped up in a huge confessional frenzy and the guitars lead it to a lengthy conclusion that no-one wants to let go of.
"Left Unsaid",though, is the most direct, damning thing here. Proffering a hookline of "All alone in the darkness", the urgency and heaviosity in the guitar department is palpable. "Veil Of Diffidence", by comparison, takes its' time to unravel, initially sounding like Six By Seven at their creepiest, while the weight of the world sits heavily on Milne's shoulders. His lyrics open with "Falling into a world of confusion, walking into the ambiguous..." and the whole caboodle's all the more effective for taking a good couple of minutes to explode, before being reined in temporarily to let all the aural guns eventually start blazing. The melding of darkness and energy reminds this writer of one of his enduring heroes, Adrian Borland. Favourably, I hasten to add.
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"Confined", meanwhile, supplies the crescendo you know must come. Milne sings: "People say I'm being awkward, but I have my reasons" before the guitars and Stuart Russell's mighty drum clatter smash into your consciousness. Music with this much obvious passion requires a necessary conclusion and the squall that leads out provides a suitably coruscating climax.
Though not as refreshingly diverse as their labelmates CAYTO, SMALL ENCLOSED AREA are responsible for a passionately articulate racket in their own right. I doubt they'll be fenced in by obscurity too much longer.
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