Larsen are a quartet of Italian musicians whose apparently mainstream instrumentation
(two guitars, bass, and drums along with the occasional glockenspiel or shruti box) masks
a deeply strange sonic temperament. And good for them. SeieS is their fifth album, and the
palindromic structure of its nonsense title is a good indication of what you'll hear: most of
the seven tracks on the program are slow pieces that sway between two chords, offering
little in the way of internal logic (when there are words they're often mixed so low as to be
incomprehensible) but still providing plenty of interest if you're willing to be patient and listen
closely. On "The Snow," there are orchestral strings and strange percussion sounds swinging
back and forth between the song's two chords, while "Mother" is structured similarly but
features faintly recorded male and female vocals and a more densely orchestrated sound.
On "Rever," there are vocals again, but this time they move very gradually from background
to foreground over the course of the song. "2nd" is more droney than the previous tunes.
The album ends with "Marzia," a collaboration between Larsen and Lustmord
(aka Brian Williams) that drags on a bit too long but is fairly interesting for at least the
first six minutes.
As is often the case with releases on the Important label, the disc is beautifully packaged.
Recommended. ~

Rick Anderson, All Music Guide