Sightseeing Crew – Avant-Garde Experimentation That Pushes the Limits

Sightseeing Crew is a one-man post-Rick avant-garde music project that fully embraces experimental composition, pushing beyond conventional song structures and melodic norms. It’s a bold attempt at creating new-age music, but one that might struggle to find broad appeal due to its highly unorthodox approach. While the project successfully challenges traditional music-making, the execution often results in songs that feel disjointed, chaotic, and difficult to digest.

Sightseeing Crew actively rejects standard songwriting conventions, favoring freeform compositions that often lack clear structure. Tracks like “Tape” and “Licks” showcase this approach, abandoning traditional flow for an almost collage-like style of sound. While this is admirable from an artistic standpoint, the result often feels like multiple songs mashed together rather than cohesive pieces. The erratic shifts in volume and the heavy distortion on various instruments make it difficult to settle into a groove, leaving listeners feeling lost rather than engaged.

There’s no doubt that Sightseeing Crew is experimenting with a wide range of instruments and styles. From high-pitched, disjointed guitar work to funky, deep bass grooves and chaotic symphonic keys, the project is full of creative ideas. However, this level of ambition doesn’t always translate into a satisfying listening experience.

Take “Your Cue”, for example—there are moments of brilliance, but they are buried beneath an overwhelming mix of odd time signatures, abrasive noises, and unpredictable shifts. The second half of the song finds a better balance, where the avant-garde nature starts to feel more intentional rather than erratic. Unfortunately, most of the tracks struggle to find that balance, often sounding like experiments rather than fully formed compositions.

One of the biggest obstacles in this project is the track lengths. Songs stretching to six, seven, or even eight minutes demand a lot from the listener, especially when combined with unpredictable structures and harsh sonic choices. The unconventional time signatures and sudden volume changes make the longer tracks feel exhausting rather than immersive.

However, when shorter run times come into play, the music starts to make more sense. Tracks like “Daybreak” and “Real (Quick Fire) Journal” benefit from brevity, allowing the avant-garde elements to shine without overstaying their welcome. Ironically, these shorter songs also feel more structured, largely due to the presence of more traditional drum patterns that anchor the compositions. The urgency in these tracks makes them more engaging and emotionally resonant, proving that less might be more when it comes to this style of music.

Despite its chaotic nature, Sightseeing Crew does have some genuinely interesting moments. “Neutral Works” introduces soothing drum patterns and whale-like ambient sounds, creating a peaceful, meditative atmosphere. However, even these moments are often drowned out by high-pitched noises or erratic compositional choices that disrupt the immersion rather than enhance it.

There are hints of something special here, but the music often suffers under the weight of its own ambition. It’s as if Sightseeing Crew is trying to shatter musical norms for the sake of it, rather than refining those ideas into something both avant-garde and listenable.

Sightseeing Crew clearly has a vision—one that challenges musical norms and ventures into truly unexplored territory. However, challenging conventions doesn’t always result in a rewarding listening experience. The project’s experimentation is admirable, but the lack of cohesion, overwhelming song lengths, and dissonant production choices make it difficult to fully appreciate.

There’s potential here—when the elements are more balanced, Sightseeing Crew shows flashes of brilliance. But for now, it feels like an ambitious but messy experiment that needs refinement. Avant-garde music can be unconventional without being unlistenable, and that’s where this project still has room to grow.

If you’re someone who loves experimental music that completely disregards traditional structure, Sightseeing Crew is worth a listen. But for most, this will likely be a challenging and frustrating experience rather than a rewarding one.