Semion ‎– Get A Grip

Description

Format: CD (Mini-Album)
Label: Semion (Self-Released)
Catalogue: SEMI 03CD
Barcode:
Country: UK
Year: 2000

Condition: New

Really nice, rare debut. Reviews below.

01. Paul Loves Derek
02. Theme From Semion
03. Sunny
04. Under The Sea
05. Dumb
06. I Can Dream All Day
07. Year Of The Monkee

Imagine if you were the perfect soundtrack to a lazy Saturday afternoon, sitting in your back garden with the sun streaming down on your half empty bottle of wine. Sound like paradise?

Well yes it does actually. This debut extended EP from North London’s Semion takes its musical licks from a number of differing sources and combines them into seven slices of lo-fi, indie guitar manna.

‘Paul Loves Derek’ rocks along on a bed of lush vocal harmonies, that brings to mind a cocktail of early La’s shaken, not stirred into The Beach Boys, with a chorus that’ll stick in your head for months. ‘Sunny’ kicks off with a distorted vocal line that segues into an almost Wonderstuff styled refrain that ends up somewhere in Ride territory.

Out come the keyboards for the downbeat ‘Under The Sea’ which weaves its way from slow building indie staple to soaring vocaled Sonic Youth influenced rocker. ‘Year Of The Monkee’ closes proceedings with another strong verse/chorus structure that could’ve come off any of R.E.M.’s first two albums. With a sweeping, majestic chorus that highlights Semion’s song-writing strength it’s easily the best thing on ‘Get a Grip’.

With Gary Ford’s strong, seductive vocals and some great fret work from the fabulously named Paul de Ste Croix, Semion are more than the sum of their parts or influences and on this debut showing deserve to succeed.

[Nick Griffiths, Rock Sound Magazine]

Semion are a five-piece band from London whose seven song disc, Get A Grip, falls nicely between the moody jangle of R.E.M. and the equally moody darker sound of Outrageous Cherry. Lead singer/songwriter Gary Ford’s excellent reverb-soaked vocals are a perfect complement to the guitar sounds of Paul De Ste. Croix.

Songs like ‘Paul Loves Derek’; the folky, catchy ‘Dumb’; the wonderful ‘Year Of The Monkee’; and ‘Under The Sea’, with its flange effects, should be loved by anyone who yearns for the days of that college radio sound.

[David Bash, Toast Magazine]