Tam Tikri Objektai: The album that mimics the sounds of Saturn
Space exploration has always been a popular theme in music and art. During the space race, the possibility of galactic exploration and other life forms dominated popular culture, resulting in iconic tracks like David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ or ‘Whitey on the Moon’ by Gil-Scott Heron. Although the Cold War has long since ended, something about space exploration still captures the imagination of artists everywhere.
Space often lends itself to concept albums, to varying degrees of success, from the obscure jazz exploration of Orchestra Roland Kovac’s Trip to Mars to the more recent attempt by Arctic Monkeys to evoke a moon getaway on Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. The most recent attempt to encapsulate space exploration in song comes in the form of Tam tikri objektai erdvėje.
Meant to conjure up images of Saturn, the album is a collaboration between Sam Gendel and Ugnė Uma. Gendel, hailing from Los Angeles, brings his acclaimed saxophone skills to the project, in addition to various other instruments. He is undoubtedly one of the most unique voices in modern American jazz, and this album certainly signifies that fact. Meanwhile, the influence of Uma connotes experimental poetry and the underground music scene of their native Lithuania. As this description will likely give you some idea, the resulting music is like nothing you have ever heard before.
The Lithuanian title of the record translates to ‘some particular objects in space’, whilst the six tracks are titled after the individual letters that make up the word ‘Saturn’. Musically, the soundscape of Saturn that the pair create feels delicate and often beautiful, but with a constant sense of moving forward and the exploration of the unknown. Meanwhile, tracks like ‘N’ feature a near-constant tape hiss, evoking audio recordings of early space trips – much like those sampled by Public Service Broadcasting on their The Race for Space album.
While experimentation and the abstract are common throughout the record, the pair also draw upon more palatable influences of pop, dance and even dub. A Yamaha Portasound PSS-290 is used, often improvisationally, to create an almost childlike atmosphere on some tracks, hinting at the childlike curiosity with which many people view space exploration.
The reasons behind choosing Saturn, in particular, as the basis for the album is unknown. Saturn is often visible from Earth in the hours just after sunset, and astrologists view the planet as one of concentration, permanence and ambition. Gendel and Uma induce a sense of cosmic exploration but also one of self-discovery and contemplation, so perhaps that is why they landed on Saturn as a subject.
Regardless of the symbolism of Saturn, Gendel and Uma create a truly unique sound on Tam tikri objektai erdvėje. The sense of wonder and exploration that many associate with space is perfectly encapsulated within their experimental soundscape. Not only does the album fit in with the likes of Kovac’s A Trip to Mars, it may even eclipse it (no pun intended).
