Siena Root is a band from Stockholm, Sweden that was formed in 1997 that plays a mixture of hard rock, psychedelic rock, and progressive rock from the late 1960s and 1970s. This album, A Dream of Lasting Peace (2017), is the group’s seventh studio album, and is labeled under the tags of rock, folk, psychedelic, root rock, Stockholm, and silence on the album’s Bandcamp listing. The group has since released two more albums, and still tours around Europe quite frequently. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Secrets” starts out with a really groovy, rockin’ beat that gradually falls back into a sort of rockin’ swing while a guitar and some super sweet psychedelic organs gradually enter the soundscape. I’m absolutely digging this song a ton already, as there seems to be a really groovy blend of the classic psychedelic rock sounds circa 1967-1968 from the different coasts of the US, and even some of the British blues-based psychedelic sounds as well. The vocals have a really nice sweetness to them that almost reminds me of the Dave Matthews Band while the rest of the instrumentation gets increasingly psychedelic. Oh wow, there are some really groovy reversed guitar sounds for a moment that bring in a sort of raga feel. Oh wow, the band drops back into the main groove of the song one more time as the tune comes to a close. Wow, great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Tales of Independence” has an almost funky sound between the bouncing bass tone, sweet guitar work, and the syncopated beat. Holy smokes, the track breaks through to a super melodic chorus filled with psychedelic rock flavors reminiscent of the late 1960s that I’m really digging. Holy smokes, the vocals and swirling organs harmonize really nicely as the track seems to climb to different peaks during the chorus. Oh wow, the track has entered a really interesting, groovy jam segment that seems to have a mixture of classic funk and psychedelic rock flavors. I’m really digging the melodious nature of this track. Wow, another great track.
“Sundown” gets started with an almost easy-going beat that is soon joined by some really sweet, swirling organs and a slick electric guitar that has a mixture of slide guitar reminiscent of Derek Trucks and wah pedal reminiscent of psychedelic rock of the latter 1960s. Holy smokes, I’m really digging this track a ton so far, especially as the organs get deeper and deeper into this jam. This is super interesting, as I’m sort of reminded of the jam rock and roll stylings of the Dave Matthews Band again, with tons of psychedelic flavor from the late 1960s. Oh wow, there are some experimental-ish windy sound effects that come in at the end of the song that remind me of groups like Gong and/or Hawkwind. Great track.
Holy smokes, “The Piper Won’t Let You Stay” starts out with some super sweet and big sounding blues guitar with a mellow swing that reminds me a ton of John Mayer’s solo discography, with hints of Jimi Hendrix and even a sort of modern r&b sound reminiscent of groups like Proxima Parada. I really dig the mellowness of the organs in this track, as the notes seem to gradually drip into and ripple throughout the soundscape. Oh wow, the band seems to be building up into a more upbeat blues rock track, and now has a style that reminds of the sort of Texas hard blues style of the Chris Duarte Group. I’m really digging the crashing of the cymbals as the soundscape continues grooving along. Holy smokes, the soundscape mellows out a bit and sweetens up a ton as the swirling psychedelic organs come shining through, which seems to lead the song back to the sweet, big-sounding intro movement that reminded me a fair deal of John Mayer. Holy smokes, the band keeps building up the jams as the song nears its end, and somehow makes the soundscape increasingly groovy. Wow, awesome track.
“Outlander” starts out with a slow building rhythm section as the drums and bass seem to slowly intensify as they build up the foundation of the soundscape. Eventually some organs come in that seem to be the prelude for the song itself, as soon a really groovy, bluesy rock and roll tune seems to drop into place. Holy smokes, this is groovy. I’m kind of harder grooving tunes from The Cadillac Three as I listen. Holy smokes, the soundscape gets increasingly psychedelic as the music continues, with a guitar playing a really groovy solo that seems to introduce some MIDI effects into the soundscape. Holy smokes, the organs have let loose at this point; it feels like I’ve been completely hooked in at this point and am at the whim of the organ player. Oh wow, the track mellows back out to the building, prelude-like intro movement as the song comes to a close. Awesome track.
“Growing Underground” starts out with a big, almost gritty tone, and is followed by some chaotic drums. Oh wow, a really dirty organ sound comes in that I’m really digging and the band seems to launch into a sort of heavy blues rock movement. The drums almost remind me a bit of Motorhead. Holy smokes, the band has entered a sort of jazzy prog rock movement for a moment, and now they’ve launched into a speedy prog-ish psychedelic blues rock movement that I’m really digging. Holy smokes, these organs are super groovy throughout this track. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Empty Streets” has a really airy, loose swing and some somewhat dark, strange tones in the background at first that remind me of the earlier work of The Doors meets Steely Dan’s Gaucho (1980). Holy smokes, the organs launch into a massive swirling movement as the track enters its chorus. Oh wow, I really dig the way the track mellows out again for the next verse. The guitar work is vaguely reminiscent of the John Mayer-esque playing from a couple of tracks ago in this track’s verse. Holy smokes, the track has launched into a sort of building, exploratory psychedelic blues rock jam and I’m absolutely digging the sound. The back and forth between the guitar and organs are super groovy, and seem to continually hook me further into the listening experience. Holy smokes, the verse has such a sweet feel in the vocals as the track seems to mellow down as it comes to a close. Great tune.
“No Filters” gets grooving with some grooving psychedelic rock/psychedelic blues rock flavors in the guitars and organs that are driven forward by the strong beat. Oh wow, the track seems to move into exploratory territory as the beat changes up a ton and the guitars and organs gradually build and play off of one another to create a super groovy jam segment. Oh wow, the track resolves back to the main instrumental lines seemingly effortlessly. Wow, great track.
“Imaginarium” starts out with some mellow, dream-inducing organs that gradually shimmer into the soundscape, and are soon backed by a groovy swing in the drums and bass. Oh wow, the guitar almost sounds like an organ as it plays a really jazz-like exploratory line for a bit. Oh wow, the organs have come into the soundscape to further flesh-out those jazzy lines from the guitar. I’m almost reminded a bit of Jimmy Smith meets late 1960s psychedelic rock, especially blues-based psychedelic rock. Holy smokes, the band seems to come to a crescendo of sorts as the organs come swirling back in again just as the music begins to fade away. Great instrumental track.
“The Echoes Unfold” gets started with some big-sounding, bluesy lines from the bass and guitar, which seem to be echoed by the organs, and set to a spacious, yet strong beat. Oh wow, the vocals seem to set a somewhat darker tone for the song somewhat reminiscent of The Doors circa 1967. I’m really digging the reverb on the entire soundscape in this track so far. Holy smokes, the vocals bring in a really epic storytelling sound to this track and I’m really digging the resulting sound. Holy smokes, the organs come into the soundscape that the vocals harmonize really nicely with, and bring an almost ballad-like feel as rest of the instrumentation seems to move around the combination of the organs and vocals. Holy smokes, the jams seem to continue to build to even groovier levels as the music gradually fades out, making it seem like the band might still be playing to this very day. Great track, and a great way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, this album is great, and I’m already excited to check out more of Siena Root’s discography. I was reminded repeatedly throughout of a number of bands and styles, and though the majority of the flavors were that of late 1960s and early 1970s psychedelic rock, psychedelic blues rock, and progressive rock, found in such bands as The Doors, Gong, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Hawkwind, I found myself thinking mostly of bands and artists from recent decades, such as the Dave Matthews Band, The Cadillac Three, Proxima Parada, Chris Duarte, and John Mayer. Overall, if you’re a fan of psychedelic rock from the late 1960s, and you’re also a fan of rock and roll and blues rock from recent decades, then I would recommend checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, then I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A