Siobhan – Lower Management
8.10.15 by Jacob DeRaadt

siobhan large

Siobhan is the project of Travis Galloway of Detroit, Michigan. This is the third cassette of his that I’ve acquired (“Current Affairs” and “Mind Court” are nearly worn out from repeated plays), and I can never get enough of this warped sonic reality. Those other cassettes mentioned were on Nostilevo, who’s xeroxed aesthetic perfectly suited the project’s conjuring of a club falling apart from mildew. So its a bit strange to see the crisp packaging of Alien Passengers (who has a very recognizable aesthetic in their own right) paired with Galloway’s sounds. But that’s just small details, perhaps nit-picking, and I’m excited to get another slice of Siobhan.

How to describe the singular sound of Siobhan? At different points, one can feel like they are shifting rapidly through AM radio stations of some bygone era; fragments of catchy electro-pop industrial snatched away from the listener before they can gain a moment’s comfort. In other moments, there is a feeling of being caught at the end of a trip in a constantly repeating phrase in one’s own mind. The beats are blown out and distorted in a way that only a four-track can accomplish. There are great effects of warbling, over-saturation of beats, constant equalizer tweaking, coupled with reverb and delay dropped in and out of the mix… I find myself asking, “ What kind of party is this?”

siobhan strip

Confusion rules the day. Songs are short, and there are less of the monotone vocals that I’d come to expect. This release comes off as more of a house mix than a proper release. Again, I’m not complaining, it’s just different from the ‘normal’ Siobhan experience.

As with most music coming out of Detroit, its easy to impose the idea that their music is a reaction to the urban decay and paranoia of that failed industrial hub. Siobhan has always felt more of an escape of reality as an audio diary than a focused musical project. And frankly, I like it better that way. There does seem to be a distinct influence of classic, minimal Detroit techno along the lines of the Underground Resistance label. This is perfect music to take dissociatives to. Pick it up for $7.00 from Alien Passengers.