Album Review: Set and Setting – “Nychthemeron” – Archive
Written by Crow's Nest Staff, Oct 19, 2010, 0 Comments
Jerrod Simpson
Contributing Writer
Not that these guys are drama queens, but they have a sick fetish for making you wait. They use their songs to construct tension like a high rise, stacking layer upon layer until you realize you were waiting for a moment that has already passed.
It’s like riding a wave that builds from nothing and ends in a tsunami. Reflecting echoes of guitars inflict slight inebriation, but the heavy percussion holds you up like a good friend post keg stand.
Shane Handal, guitarist, describes Set and Setting’s writing process as a “total creative feeding,” almost a potluck of ideas in which everyone in the band brings something to the table.
Shane and his brother Stephen splash layers of color on a sturdy foundation laid by bassist John Allen and drummer Mark Etherington. The goal: sonic mind alteration.
Set and Setting are sound chemists attempting to create an audibly induced barbiturate. Their name comes from a quote from psychologist Timothy Leary, “the nature of experience depends entirely on set and setting,” referring to the mindset of the individual and the environmental setting they inhabit.
The passage of time and influence of environment are rampant themes throughout the band’s EP, “Nychthemeron” (nik-THEM-er-on). The title is taken from Greek, meaning a 24-hour period, thus the song titles: “Dawn,” “Noon,” and “Dusk.”
Each song is meant to represent the amount of light present. Darkness makes way for light, just as melancholy for joy. The EP is the manifestation of the band’s perception of the human experience, an interest that permeates the members’ lives way beyond their music.
As anthropology, psychology and criminology majors, they have spent countless hours studying the human condition and applying their knowledge to their musical journey.
Yet, they know the importance of not taking themselves too seriously.
“It’s all about the free beer, self-satisfaction and good times,” Handal said. You can’t get more philosophical than that.
Expect good things to come from these guys as they perfect their chemistry. “Nychthemernon” is available for free download at setandsetting.bandcamp.com and is due for release in hard copy on Nov. 13 at Fubar in Downtown St. Petersburg.
