The world is changing. Generative AI is being normalized, and in the midst of a deluge of fake images and sounds, I think the true artists, the real experiences, will rise to the top, at least for those of us who value such authenticity. Enter Siiga, a holy tree meaning “the soul”, and from the very first moments, even from the absorption of the name itself, you’ll understand that human authenticity is this project’s goal. They recently released Nostaglia Burns, a concept album exploring the idea of being human in a plastic world. It launched on June 12th.
Siiga comes to us from the Isle of Skye, UK. I’ll admit, I’m having a hell of a time finding any information about this project, but I know it is primarily mastermind Richard Macintyre, who plays the vast majority of the instruments on the record, everything from guitar to synth. I also know he brings with him a small army of musicians providing saxophone, vocals, and more.
The music here is essentially genre-less, but also incredibly familiar. I would say it has some properties of synthwave, but also of indie folk, alternative, New Wave, and more. Certainly, it is warm, soothing, atmospheric music that revels in the ethereal, that offers a misty ambience in which emotions and a longing for connection can thrive.
I have to admit, this concept here has affected me greatly. There is a certain sense of melancholy realism as the album sets the stage, pictures us walking to the beat of the algorithm, robotically marching to the commands of something we can’t see or control. Some of you know I’m an author and I have a few books out there. In the last year, it’s become incredibly important to me, and the author community, to ensure we are creating everything connected to our books. That’s why my stories are full of my personal blood, sweat, and tears, and why the cover art is hand-painted (by my niece). It’s important to me to create something real.
This album very much feels real. It revisits some sounds of the past, most obviously 80s synth-laden haziness, but some of the tunes, especially the choruses, feel like 90s alternative music to me. You’ll hear lots of synth, some excellent guitar solos, and even a few saxophone segments that almost give the music a Blade Runner blues vibe. It feels simultaneously nostalgic, human, and forward-thinking in our new age of artificiality and slop.
Nostalgia Burns has 11 songs and they are all great. I do prefer the first half of the album slightly. In the first half, we get excellent tunes like the opener “The LCD” with its haunting chorus, soothing tempo, and spectral synth. We get “Recovery”, one of my favorite songs of the year with its saxophone emotions, careful vocal annunciations, and fleeting sense of space and time. Next is “It’s Only Love”, a duet of terrific vocalists, incredibly catchy and somehow sad, too.
And that’s just the first three tracks. “Hourglass” gives us a dose of synth melody and a catchy 90s chorus with a pealing sax solo, yet “Starlight Lovers” is just as arresting with its streaming point of view and harmonious atmosphere. The first half ends with another favorite, the title track, a whimsical, delicious piece with perfect melodic touches and hazy beauty. I can’t stop listening to it.
The final five are so good, too. “Destroyer” gives us feelings of numb coldheartedness, like struggling to feel something. It’s a steady and mostly understated tune, but it’s lovely and the last couple minutes are sublime. The next few tracks are like a wonderful blur, “Losing You” full of longing and lost feelings; “Amélie” giving us brisk and bright clarity with a fantastic guitar solo at the end; and “Human” bringing us full circle with an appreciation of feelings, the mental lightbulb moment of understanding our own nature—the song floats in neon shadows with potent texture and craftsmanship.
I love the way this album ends. “Stormy Hill” is mostly synth soundscapes, full of ambience and even a bit of cinema. It’s like finding home but understanding that home will always have trials and emotions attached, but that’s what makes it real. That’s what makes it where we belong. The closing minutes are a mounting synth-scape of beauty and saxophone, and it is so damn serene.
I’m really taken with Siiga’s latest. This is a deeply human and authentic work, one that thrives in corridors and city streets. It is a trip, both emotional and healing, but it will leave you with a sense that being human isn’t so bad, that having flaws is part of the experience of life. Nostalgia Burns indeed, no matter how hard we try to douse the fire.
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