SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TENCI – A SWOLLEN RIVER, A WELL OVERFLOWING

Tenci
A Swollen River, A Well Overflowing
Keeled Scales

Whenever you encounter an artist or a band you did not have a chance to hear before, the first thing you do is try and make a comparison – who do they sound like, or to whom you can compare them to?

Well, that might be a problem there with Chicago’s Tenci. Sure, they have their inspirations, but it is so damn hard to put your finger on what they are. Not that Jess Shoeman, who is the spearhead of the project, is trying something completely out of the left field or strange. Tenci’s music definitely has a head and a tail, melody (above all), and a rhythm, whenever the songs need them, it is just that their construction is something that is not heard often these days and that is what makes them so inventive and intriguing.

Throughout the album, Tenci go different directions, but at the same time, there is a certain musical line that connects them and identifies them, well, as Tenci.

Add to that some truly thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrics and you get an excellent album throughout.

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