Saure Gurken – “Audiospawn” / “Don’t Shoot”

Saure Gurken – “Audiospawn” / “Don’t Shoot” – Singles Review

Holy blast from the past!  It was way back in 2015 that we last heard from Saure Gurken!

I really dig the way that “Audiospawn” creeps throughout its opening, and absolutely love the guitars from Quaziq as the song starts up.  While I think it’s fair to say that I enjoy the rest to follow as well, to me, many of the main strengths of “Audiospawn” are found in the beginning of this single and in the surrounding instrumental sections.  Don’t get me wrong, I think if you put this track right up close under the microscope, you’ll find it’s technically perfect, but by the same token, the infusion of vocals from Vance Baryn often pull the entire sound back towards a lot of what we’ve already experience in Rock throughout its history.  Nothing wrong with that of course…make the music you wanna make, always – but it is something to keep in mind when considering how people are likely going to receive a song like this from the listening end.  Think of it like this…Saure Gurken could have potentially gone anywhere from the way that “Audiospawn” begins, and collectively they choose to go more towards a 70s-inspired groove.  Like I said, don’t get my words twisted y’all – Vance is a killer singer – it’s just that we end up in a sound/style on “Audiospawn” that’s been fairly explored before throughout the history of Rock.  That being said, when you listen to this tune, it’s not like you’ll feel like they ended up where they get to by some kind of freak accident.  The sound you hear on “Audiospawn” is the exact type of vibe they were going for, which you can tell quite clearly from the way they play with such purpose and intent, so really, from there it’s all about personal taste and how many folks out there are looking to revisit a 70s-type of vibe.  I’m sure there are many…and this wonderful invention called the internet allows fans of all kinds to connect with the kind of music they wanna hear.  I can get behind what Saure Gurken is going for with “Audiospawn” and I feel like it worked out really well for them overall…it’s a meaty tune, it’s got a nice complement of psychedelically-tinged sound to go along with its main rhythm and groove, and the solos you’ll find in this tune are also seriously badass.  While it has been over NINE YEARS since I had my last Saure Gurken experience, from the sound of this first single, they clearly haven’t lost a step.  They’re still extremely into what they create, and it’s because of that fact that it becomes that much easier for us all to be as excited about this as they are – you’ll want to turn “Audiospawn” UP to maximum volume.

Of the two tracks I’ve got here, there’s a chasm of difference between what I thought about’em.

I mean…look…it’s Saure Gurken y’all…and I think we have to remind ourselves at times that this is a band that likes to have just as much fun doing what they do, as they do rocking to their full potential.  They’re all about musical mayhem, and that’s basically their first priority as far as we know.  So like…does Vance over-sing the beginning/vast majority of “Don’t Shoot?”  Yes.  Without question, good lord, yes.  Is it meant to be taken entirely seriously?  No.  Clearly, it’s not.  You’ll get to the song’s slight nod towards Madonna eventually, and if you had any doubts about whether or not Saure Gurken was having a bit of extra fun in making this hybrid single, you’ll probably figure it out by that point if you haven’t already.  I think the question becomes more about how many opportunities Saure Gurken takes to make music, and if they really want to spend their time making songs that’ll have the average everyday listeners out there wondering what kind of band they’re actually listening to.  Do they wanna go down the kind of path that Green Jelly carved out years ago and make tracks that could easily be interpreted as jokes?  Do they want to make songs like “Audiospawn” that draw on music’s history more than push themselves forward creatively?  Do they want to do something else entirely?  I think that Saure Gurken still has a lot of questions to answer as they go forward…but as the old saying goes, the world is their oyster.  It’s up to them to decide what kind of band they wanna be and what they choose to put out onto your playlists.  I don’t know that I’d go as far as to say that something like “Don’t Shoot” is entirely intended to be a parody all the way through, but it definitely has that feeling.  Especially as it begins…I ain’t gonna lie, when Vance started singing “we’ve been together for so long girl,” I was almost out before this song really even got going.  Thankfully, I know better after having reviewed a million tunes over time, and I stick things out no matter what.  As he started growling later on down the road with “you know girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl” around the 1:15 mark, I felt like we get let in on the joke a bit there…that’s where you know this is intentionally over the top and we can begin to relax a bit.  As he goes to answer the freakin’ door in the middle of recording about a minute or so later, our suspicions are concerned and we know we’re listening to something that’s intended to be fun.  “Don’t Shoot” will go on to infuse just about everything you can think of and the kitchen sink along with it as it becomes a full-on hybrid tune that roams through all kinds of different styles and sounds.  Again, the question becomes – is this effective?  Is this something that you’d listen to regularly?  Does the humor hold up on repeat, or is it a case of once you’ve heard it, that subsequent spins feel a bit watered down by comparison?  Is it funny enough to warrant the departure from being serious when they’re clearly so damn capable of creating songs that would have no problem keeping us entertained without the humor sprinkled in?  Like I said, they’ve got lots of questions to answer as Saure Gurken begins its resurgence.  I’m not here to judge comedy – I know what I think is funny, and I wouldn’t expect most people to agree with me on any of that stuff – I think it’s a much more subjective aspect to art than music even is at the end of the day, and risky to combine the two worlds.  I think you either go into the comedic aspect full-on and commit to that 100%, or it’s probably best to play things more straightforward, even though that might be regarded as the safer choice.  I feel like if you’re attempting to use humor, you better be completely sure that listeners aren’t just going to chuckle a bit, but lose their minds laughing at something that’s indisputably funny – if it’s anything that might be in between that, it’s probably going to fall flat, or fly over people’s heads.  So…yep…I’m advising caution here Saure Gurken…I don’t know that “Don’t Shoot” is what you wanna be going for in comparison to something like “Audiospawn,” which is probably the more accessible of the two tracks overall.  I think the three players surrounding Vance gotta keep his ass grounded and focused on the mission at hand, because the dude’s got an incredible voice in his best moments and could easily be what people end up tuning into Saure Gurken for if he wanted to be.  I think the rhythm section of Dr. Dan on the bass and Ethan on the drums works flawlessly…those two players are as steady as it gets and completely reliable.  Quaziq is quite clearly capable of being the wow-factor any time he gets the opportunity to be…there’s tremendous character in what he plays.  While I might be a bit split on what I like & what I’m not as sure of in between these two singles, I’m definitely stoked to have Saure Gurken back in the scene…they’re unpredictable, but in the right kind of way that’s bound to lead to some truly unique surprises every time they show up.  Hopefully it won’t be another nine years before the next time we get to hear from them again…they’re clearly having fun making music on their terms, and that should theoretically be enough for any band to want to keep things going – especially with talent like they have!  I’m optimistic about their future ahead…I think once Saure Gurken settles into their routine a bit and dials into what they really want to do with their music, they’ll go on to exceed all expectations.

Find out more about Saure Gurken at their official page at Facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/sauregurkenband

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