Seti The First (named apparently after an Egyptian King) is an all-instrumental outfit featuring supremely-talented Irish musicians Kevin Murphy and Thomas Haugh. With cellos, double bass, trumpets, flugelhorn, violas and sundry percussion instruments, the ten pieces on their debut album are lush, atmospheric and beautifully-constructed and performed.
Not quite classical, not quite jazz, not quite pop, they somehow manage to weave elements of a multitude of genres (including Flamenco and folk) into pieces like, ‘La Bassinette Noir’ which, to these ears, recalls the Morricone-inspired textures utilized by Calexco and Giant Sand. The obvious reference-point is TV soundtrack and cinema music. Indeed some of the pieces here (‘Citric Dirt’, ‘Sugar To The Sea Lion’) have been used in several documentaries. Even without the visuals, they work very well. A fine record.