Sian Alice Group

Sian Alice Group's dusky, contemplative songwriting is intense and vibrantly electric, with layers of percussion, non-traditional and otherwise. Although this avant-garde soul outfit borrows liberally from the aesthetics of electronica, jazz and experimental rock, it has crafted a sound all its own — like a band of the recent past creating soundtracks for counterculture films of the future. Sian Alice doesn't follow conventional routes to melody, and in that regard, it's comparable to such adventurous projects as Indian Jewelry and Gang Gang Dance. As with those groups, it eschews instrumental leads entirely in favor of polyrhythms and creative dynamics. Overall, this is a mysterious and alluring live act that confidently tries to chart new musical territory.