Saetia - A Retrospective

Good evening from another newbie, and another girl! Sorry to jump back into the pot of scary screamy music that Eugene just posted, but it has to be done. Speaking of which, you should all check out Captain Beefheart before you even think of reading the rest of this entry. I saw the Magic Band play live, sadly without Cap'n Beefheart himself, a few months back at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms and it really was a life-changing experience. So if you haven't already, stop reading now and scroll down and listen to some of Trout Mask Replica - arguably one of the strangest and greatest albums of the last 50 years.

For those of you who have already done so, here's a little something else that everybody on the planet has to hear before they die. Saetia were a NYC screamo band that lasted barely two years, and only ever released one full record. In their words, "2.5 years, 170-something shows, a demo, 2 7"s, 1 comp track and a full length. Hopefully it was more than 5 guys screaming and flailing about and breaking things." Oh, it was. Saetia are undoubtedly one of the most defining bands within the screamo genre, and with ex-members now playing in Off Minor to Interpol, their influences have spread into many other genres since.

Painfully grating screams, intricate guitar patterns, beautiful melodies, smashing cymbals and the most incredible lyrics of almost any band I've ever heard - Saetia's Retrospective album is truly mind-blowing - perhaps ear-blowing for those who can't take their screaming, though. This is a must for any Circle Takes The Square fan and a learning curve for anybody who thinks Taking Back Sunday is classifiable as screamo because occasionally "there's screaming". Here's three classic tracks from the record, although I strongly recommend buying the real thing because choosing any track apart from "the weaker tracks" is in fact a near-impossible task.

Notres Langues Nous Trompent
Closed Hands
Venus And Bacchus

Expired