review of sf show from wiretap music
sensations
the hemlock tavern
august 23, 2007

there was a small, friendly crowd at the hemlock tavern last thursday night, bopping along to the sweet country rock grooves of sensations, three veteran bay area rock n' rollers who play like a crack team of nashville session pros.

but sensations' music runs deeper than the country-rock canon. during the set, their songs turned some dark corners and i found myself grasping for touchstones and points of reference. i felt mystified by the odd time signatures, the left-field chord changes, and the disorienting sound effects which created a stunned atmosphere of beautiful strangeness.

the singer and guitarist, greg loiacono, introduced one song by saying: "this is a dream song and it seems fitting we should be playing it here after midnight." listening to that haunting song as it crept through the room felt like waking from an unpleasant dream and trying confusedly to piece together what was real from what was not.

the mood lifted when the band returned to some beautiful and rocking pop songs, such as "incredible man" and "state fair letdown," in which greg sings a bluegrass-tinged story of good intentions gone astray by raging adolescent hormones. another particularly moving song ended with all three sensations launching into their falsettos to sing out the refrain. it sounded like an outtake from the bee gee's recording sessions for "first" or "horizontal," and was one of the finest moments of pop music i have heard at the hemlock tavern.

greg's guitar tone and effects, and the way he ties them into his country rock-styled songs, is truly unique as well as slightly baffling. its like townes van zandt's backing band covering king crimson. the sensations' musicianship is so sharp that they can turn their country-rock songs inside out with breakdowns that send a listener reeling because of their absurdity, or because of the sheer beauty of their harmonies. at other times i heard snatches of pristine country western music popping out around the corners of their experimental noise.

the deeper i listen to the sensations, the more mystifying they become. they address questions about the color, texture, and shape of their music, and respond with some abstract ideas about music and art. fuck alt-country, the sensations are avant-country rock.

[jeff bissell]