Sianspheric
Encyclopedia
SIANspheric is a shoegaze/dream pop
-oriented rock band from Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
. ("Sian
" is a Hindi word meaning "intelligent" or "bright," and it is a common surname in places where Hindi is spoken.) They formed in 1994, and signed with the then-fledgling record label Sonic Unyon
. The following year, Somnium, their debut album, was released. The band has been compared to Slowdive
, The Verve
, and Boards of Canada
. SIANspheric gigged frequently, mostly in Canada, through most of the late 1990s and early 2000s until they decided to break up. (Fellow Canadian shoegazers Southpacific
announced their own breakup while on tour with SIANspheric in 2000.)
The band has also worked with Toshack Highway
on a split album entitled Magnetic Morning/Aspirin Age. A CD with ten tracks, Toshack Highway contributed the first five tracks, and SIANspheric did the remaining five. "It's not two full albums, more two separate EPs, and the packaging and art handles it all with sly wit," said Adam Franklin
of Toshack Highway. "More split releases should be like this."http://www.toshackhighway.com/
They reformed in Toronto in 2005, and put out a new 7" single, "I Wouldn't Expect You To Understand." They followed this up with a DVD
+CD
release entitled RGB, released on Sonic Unyon. The DVD contained live footage of the band recorded between 1997 and 2001, music video
s, short clips based on or featuring the band's music. The CD featured surround sound
remastered versions of some of their long ambient pieces and fan-favourite songs, demos, and one previously unreleased song, "D'Yer Wanna Be P. Kember?"
As of 2006, SIANspheric is Sean Ramsay (guitars, vocals), Jay Patterson (bass guitar), Locksley Taylor (additional guitars, backing vocals) and Matthew Durrant (drums). All four members are said to contribute to the band's ambient programming
/sampling
. In June 2006, the band announced that a new album was being worked on, though its release date and title have not yet been determined.
Three songs from the album "Somnium" were used in the TV series "La Femme Nikita".
Track 6 of The Sound of the Colour of the Sun, "Radiodiffusion," turns into a cover of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
" by The Smiths
at 3:38.
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
-oriented rock band from Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. ("Sian
Seyan
Seyan is a North Indian Punjabi surname of a [Khatri]/[Rajput] group.Today, the majority of Seyan families are typically Jatt Sikhs...
" is a Hindi word meaning "intelligent" or "bright," and it is a common surname in places where Hindi is spoken.) They formed in 1994, and signed with the then-fledgling record label Sonic Unyon
Sonic Unyon
Sonic Unyon Recording Company is an independent record label based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The retail store is located on Wilson Street near James Street North)...
. The following year, Somnium, their debut album, was released. The band has been compared to Slowdive
Slowdive
Slowdive were an English shoegaze band that formed in 1989. The band formed in Reading, Berkshire and primarily consisted of Nick Chaplin , Rachel Goswell , Neil Halstead , and Christian Savill...
, The Verve
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
, and Boards of Canada
Boards of Canada
Boards of Canada are a Scottish electronic music duo consisting of brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin...
. SIANspheric gigged frequently, mostly in Canada, through most of the late 1990s and early 2000s until they decided to break up. (Fellow Canadian shoegazers Southpacific
Southpacific
Southpacific was a space rock band with prominent dream pop/post-rock leanings, originally based in Ottawa, Canada.-History:...
announced their own breakup while on tour with SIANspheric in 2000.)
The band has also worked with Toshack Highway
Toshack Highway
Toshack Highway is the musical group formed by the lead singer and guitarist from Swervedriver, Adam Franklin.The band name derives from merging the surnames of two Liverpool FC football players from the 1970s, John Toshack and Steve Heighway.-History:...
on a split album entitled Magnetic Morning/Aspirin Age. A CD with ten tracks, Toshack Highway contributed the first five tracks, and SIANspheric did the remaining five. "It's not two full albums, more two separate EPs, and the packaging and art handles it all with sly wit," said Adam Franklin
Adam Franklin
Adam Franklin is a guitarist, singer and songwriter who has played in Swervedriver , Shake Appeal , Toshack Highway and currently releases records as Adam Franklin and tours with live band Bolts of Melody...
of Toshack Highway. "More split releases should be like this."http://www.toshackhighway.com/
They reformed in Toronto in 2005, and put out a new 7" single, "I Wouldn't Expect You To Understand." They followed this up with a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
+CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
release entitled RGB, released on Sonic Unyon. The DVD contained live footage of the band recorded between 1997 and 2001, music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s, short clips based on or featuring the band's music. The CD featured surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
remastered versions of some of their long ambient pieces and fan-favourite songs, demos, and one previously unreleased song, "D'Yer Wanna Be P. Kember?"
As of 2006, SIANspheric is Sean Ramsay (guitars, vocals), Jay Patterson (bass guitar), Locksley Taylor (additional guitars, backing vocals) and Matthew Durrant (drums). All four members are said to contribute to the band's ambient programming
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
/sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. In June 2006, the band announced that a new album was being worked on, though its release date and title have not yet been determined.
Three songs from the album "Somnium" were used in the TV series "La Femme Nikita".
- Season 1:
- Episode 4 Charity, Watch Me Fall
- Episode 13 Recruit, Broken man
- Episode 19 Voices, The Stars Above
Track 6 of The Sound of the Colour of the Sun, "Radiodiffusion," turns into a cover of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
The Dream Academy covered "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" in 1984. This version peaked at #83 in the UK Singles Chart. The instrumental version of the song is the better known cover version, since it was used in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off along with an other Dream Academy...
" by The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
at 3:38.
Albums
- Somnium — 1995, Sonic Unyon (CD)
- There's Always Someplace You'd Rather Be — 1998, Sonic Unyon (CD)
- The Sound of the Colour of the Sun — 2001, Sonic Unyon (CD)
EPs and singles
- Magnetic Morning/Aspirin Age (split EP with Toshack HighwayToshack HighwayToshack Highway is the musical group formed by the lead singer and guitarist from Swervedriver, Adam Franklin.The band name derives from merging the surnames of two Liverpool FC football players from the 1970s, John Toshack and Steve Heighway.-History:...
) — 2003, Sonic Unyon (double CD) - "I Wouldn't Expect You to Understand" — 2006, Black Mountain Records, (7") white vinyl; limited to 300 copies
Compilations
- Else — 1999, Sonic Unyon, (CD)
- RGB — 2006, Sonic Unyon/Inchroma Multimedia (DVD+CD)