Saucer
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Saucer

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"Dallaire Review by Chris Duda"

Saucer
Dallaire

Sinigrin Records - 2005

By Christopher Duda (SugarBuzz Toronto)

SugarBuzz Magazine

Saucer is an instrumental band from Toronto that have been plying their trade for longer than they care to mention. Not many instrumental bands in this day and age can keep your attention for the span of a cd. Saucer manages to do it with passion, wisdom, and just sheer heart.

Perhaps it was the perfect day to stick Saucer in the cd player in my car. It was teeming down with rain, leaves were sticking to my windshield faster than I could wipe them off, winds were turning umbrellas inside out and causing havoc on the streets of Toronto. Caught in gridlock in downtown traffic I decided to listen to the cd for a second time at a louder decibel. I began to understand Saucer a lot more.

The first time I heard it I had it on at home while I worked on my computer, it became pleasant background noise. In the car, however, it demanded my attention. I was able to appreciate the alternate tunings and subtle nuances of Jef Theysmeyer’s guitar work. This 3 piece was one tightly wound cohesive unit. The thudding bass and tight precision drumming of Alex Needleman and Jay Deen seemed to accent the rain and chaos that engulfed me. It was the soundtrack to my nightmare! Case in point, if someone working in the film industry wants to try this on for size, I suggest you contact these people.


Okay, you know when you were a young kid and you would steal different types of alcohol from your parents liquor cabinet mixing it all into one big bottle? (See, there is a purpose for Crème de Menthe!) You christen it “Jungle Juice”, “Killer Kool Aid” etc. Taking a whiff of it just made your liver cringe in anticipation of a deadly evening. This is what Saucer is! No, not a liver killing concoction, they wallop a punch like this toxic brew, but what is more important is that there are many factors that make up Saucer. Ahh now you are getting my point! Influenced by countless bands, one hears bits and pieces of them throughout Saucer’s songs. However, like any good band they are able to take these pieces and weld them together to create a sonic swirl of sound that is uniquely their own.


Saucer at times go down sweet but they come back up retching and spewing their tunes with confidence. Like most of my favourite bands Saucer only, get better with repeated listens. Plan to take a ride on Saucer’s trip. Your mind and ears will thank you.


http://www.sinigrin.com/


http://www.myspace.com/saucerband

- SugarBuzz Magazine


"Toronto's Saucer release thier latest psy-guitar mastery"

The packaging is classy from the outset, a crisp, clean black casing reminiscent of Metallica's Black album, with a dandelion seed pattern sprouting like exploding fireworks on the cover. The inside reveals basic album credits, an attractive monochrome photograph of a live recording session, and the black CD. Removing it speaks pleasantly "Thank you for enjoying our music"; the overall design is effective.

Saucer are a ten-year old trio based in Toronto, Canada - guitarist Jef Theysmeyer, bassist Alex Needleman and drummer Jay Deen, with occasional contributions from other musicians such as Dynamo (Ben Harrison). It would not be incorrect to suggest they are influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth and Metallica. While they featured a lead vocalist up to 2000, the past half-decade has been solely about guitars, bass and drums. "Dallaire" is essentially Saucer's first true record release.

Their signature sound is void of vocals; consider them a full-on instrumental rock band, a refreshing deviation from the growing trend of poor singers for the sake of hearing human voices. From an international music perspective, not having vocals makes the music more accessible to more people. It's all about the music.

Saucer's live performances are hot, sweaty, and atmospheric, travelling through space with churning amplifiers and effect-riddled rattlesnakes. Can they capture their live essence in a professional recording studio, while streamlining their accuracy? We're about to find out.


Review of Dallaire

The album begins with haunting chants preceding the ranging velocities, into Oslo, a track Saucer has played live for a while, but not before secured in concrete audio form. Oslo as an opener is an interesting decision as it is quite slow, akin to a final dance.

70s Cop Drama thunders in and roars out almost as quickly without so much as a stop for gas or gasping for fresh air.

One of Saucer's signature tracks, the title track Dallaire, introduces itself with clean guitars, light drums and a bouncing bass. It's a feel good song that appears to benefit from live intensity and higher octane distortion than clean channels and dedicated production. I find it lost some of its soul in the translation from live to recording.

Malfunct is dark and heavy, rumbling with Deen's rolling toms. Theysmeyer's guitars are clean again. The song progresses into bluesy rock grooves, fades out, contemplates, reminisces. Guest keyboard player Ben Harrison's mark is made towards the finale.

Ponderosa is a modern experiment with time changes, more clean guitars, and circus-type organs. One of the strongest tracks, Needleman's finest work.

Ananimity is a lazy groove that is a little blah at the beginning. Needleman's picked bass is rather apparent on the track while Theysmeyer has a garden party with his guitar, dodging falling trees screaming towards him. The strength of the song is the second half that screams potential, an even more laid back groove that provides a space-filled intermission. In some instances I believe Saucer would benefit from a supplementary guitar to provide harmonious textures; this is one of those tracks.

Vitamin Yellow is the fiercest track on Dallaire, sporting some of the more intricate guitar work that would impress metal fans of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Lodged this deep into the album is a surprise. It is impressive, sandblasting and enigmatic. Harrison's subtle keys add attractive layers. The class of the album. It concludes with a jagged jaunt down a tunnel of doom.

Tribute to M is another long-played Saucer track that thumps and bumps with percussion grumbles. The track is golden through the meadows.

100th Monkey continues the power-driven undertones of its predecessors. It's a fighting tune, with clear mid-Metallica influences. The track exemplifies the tight unity between the trio of musicians and is best suited for here towards the end of the album.

Junkie contains light grooves and begins to mosey towards the finale of the Dallaire experience.

Fittingly, Saucer conclude with one of their time-tested classics, Hallion. The groove marches through a gradual build to its punchline, where the bassline shakes away from the norm, into a smooth progression, a head nodding groove. Theysmeyer's guitar is the narrator, bringing the story into focus through his steady riffs, while some of Needleman's most solid basswork holds it down. The song doesn't capitalise on its slow-loading drive; more it is a walk through an alley on the way to the main street.


Conclusion

While Saucer live is a more raw, powerful and energetic entity, Dallaire captures the essence of Saucer more than adequately. The recorded version improves the precision of Deen's drumming. The bass is complementary and solid. I was surprised as to the lack of distortion on the record, namely on Dallaire, considering Theysmeyer's impressive collection of guitars and effects. The album does become incr - Universal Metropolis


"Saucer at Rivoli, Mar 11, 2005"

An evening with space-rock Saucer in a midst of visuals later on Friday March 11th 2005 at the Rivoli (332-334 Queen St W) in downtown Toronto spawned a wave of impressions.

Saucer, who performed at the eternally enjoyable December 11th green party, comprises of Jef Theysmeyer on guitar, Alex Needleman on bass, Jay Deen on drums and UM favourite Ben Harrison on keyboard. They were accompanied on the evening by General Chaos visuals, and the very odd Ghostlight & Brad Ketchen/Holophonic also played.

There are numerous elements I enjoy about Saucer. Much of the guitar work is well crafted, with a Sonic Youth feel under occasional heavy James Hetfield tone. Probably my favourite Saucer element is that there are no vocals, simply musical landscapes with the emphasis on music. However, this is all but nullified by having any sort of talking in between songs. I prefer not to hear any human voices whatsoever unless they fit subtly within the audio, and certainly not the stop-start-stop routine of live bands as opposed to flowing mixes. Let distorted feedback ripple on, manipulated by the keyboards, and the drums can begin the next progression, all as part of an extended, uninterrupted chain of sound. I'd also like to see more aggressive tones and sounds from the keyboards - there is such an opportunity to solidify the wall of sound with gruff, churning, hack saw buzzing or spacey synths, instead of an ambient piano that doesn't always fit with the aggressive drums, bass and guitars.

A warning sign for the Rivoli came courtesy of the dirty blonde, pony-tailed bartender, who demanded SOCAN fees from the band, which is nonsense, out of protocol, and little more than a scammy money grab. The same bartender attempted to rip off at least two customers for $5 of change, verified by a reliable source. This sort of sleaze has no place in any growing scene and should be stamped out harshly. Coupled with the rip-off overpriced "imported" status of the typically very, very cheap Tiger beer, and unclean sound, I recommend avoiding Rivoli for the forseable future.

Saucer are an interesting Toronto band who create a unique, flowing atmosphere and a garden of modern noise, worth checking out at the right venue or eclectic gathering.
- U Magazine


"Etherised on Saucer"

Forget novocaine and any of those other pansy-ass numb drugs you can pop and pop until you're all popped out and still remain annoyingly sane. What's the point? Short of some concoction, Saucer is a trip best taken with a doctor's script of deltoid and a healthy hedonist's abandon

The first two tracks of thier maiden release Saucer stay mainly on the rock freedom train, but the last three tracks derail themselves with a hallucinogenic "pardon me" into abrupt time changes (slickly done boys) and unpredictable chord progressions. The lush and exotic (mmmmmm, yes) guitar tones never dull the intensity of the razor sharp riffs being played, while the rhythm section eases gracefully from lending texture to delivering a pleasantly nasty bite to the music.

A polished and shyly ambitious debut from a very promising band which may leave the listener wondering about the other nine tenths of the iceberg.

By E.S Lewis - Freewheelin' Magazine


Discography

2005 - Dallaire
(hear 4 tracks at www.myspace.com/saucerband)
2004 - Alef
1999 - Proti/o
1997 - Saucer

Photos

Bio

Since the departure of thier original bass player Saucer have recently reformed, like a phoenix from the ashes, as a project to get the single members of the band impressing thier lady friends. The married members of the band, however, are in it for the huge scads of cash to be made in the indy rock scene selling albums off stage and overpriced, one-colour T-shirts to unwitting groupies. Also, we all like to make loud noises. Ta.