Sian Alice Group

It’s not too harsh to liken Sian Alice Group’s debut record to a sort of post-rock Evanescence album is it? Because, really, the similarities jump out immediately: both groups have female vocalists who are as dramatic and serious as you could hope, and push vocals prominently in the final mix. Both groups make music that’s all bluster and grandeur, referencing highbrow influences — classical touchstones for Evanescence and Steve Reich and Arthur Russell for Sian Alice Group. But judging by what SAG have put out here — sweeping, piano-led soundscapes, improvised instrumentals and big name cameos from members of Spiritualized and Jesus & Mary Chain — it’s hard to see how they’ve differentiated themselves from the rest of the post-rock pack. It may be clinically executed but a glaring weakness is singer Sian Ahern’s voice, which looms large and distractingly shiny. It’s getting increasingly hard to pull off "epic” and SAG have missed this mark on their debut.