Siren’s The Row, Album Review

Poetically intense and chillingly familiar, Siren’s debut album The Row offers an interesting taste of alternative rock in todays ever-growing and changing music industry. Bringing a little bit of their Italian heritage into their music, the quartet shows that their unity is the driving force behind this album. While the beginning of the album starts off slowly with “Swan’s Tale,” don’t be fooled—vocalist Samuel Frondero is joined by a female guest artist to provide a haunting introduction to the album. Interestingly enough, the very next track, “Dr. Swan,” has a much more 90s industrial rock feel to it and that continues on throughout the album, mixing in with alternative rock and always keeping a little bit of a surfer feel to it. It’s this second track that stands out the most early on, coming across as an anthem to be sung at outdoor music festivals led by a bassline that demands listener’s attention.

Hidden in the catchy hooks and thrumming baselines of The Row is an intense introspection into a universal greatness and the poignant dichotomy of a society that is torn between acting or reacting. And while the album speaks out to fans of Soundgarden or Stone Temple Pilots, there is the addition of a string section that gives The Row an interesting dynamic that, oddly enough, works splendidly. Most noticeable on the album’s closer, “Falling Down,” the raw talent of Siren is shown in it’s fullest. Catchy choruses and enthralling melodies give way into stern, sharp guitar work by Jack Nardini and a steady pulse from drummer Mark “Spud” McKenzie.

The album carries everything from the emotional connection two strangers can feel upon first meeting one another to the war-like rampage that can fill others at the blink of an eye, seen in the roiling track, “The Wave.” “Oh, he’s full of anger / he wants to start a war/ Oh, why? Oh, why? Now I feel your rage / I feel your pain,” Frondero cries out, accompanied by Nardini’s spectacular backing vocals.

Ultimately, The Row is an album that is sure to bring Siren to the forefront of not only the Italian rock scene, but should also gain them some recognition globally. Immensely evocative and thrillingly fun to listen to, The Row may not be something wholly new to the scene but it certainly stands apart.