Customer Reviews

Lay of the Land

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is British hard rock, which means that it's heavy, but with more of a pop sensibility and song structure than found in U.S. nu-metal, a genre which has devolved into a series of white-guy acts rap-screaming over guitar noise. In UK hard rock these days, the emoting isn't necessarily limited to, "I'm really pissed off." (See also, The Cooper Temple Clause.)

I caught this band live at South by Southwest 2004, and they were excellent live performers. Imagine heavy, hard rock that is at the same time quite atmospheric...a wall of guitars, an angry vocalist...and a chick on an electric violin. "Time Out" Magazine probably said it better than I ever could: "...soaring, spellbinding anthems...with visceral and excalating power, Seachange are a hypnotic proposition."

Tragically, the studio recording does not quite do justice to the live act. It doesn't convey the fullness of the band's soaring power, but there are some solid tracks here, particularly in the first half of the CD. As the album wears on, the songs start to run together. But hey, it's a cheap disc, so you don't have to listen that far.

None of these reviews so far have done this album justice. You have never heard anything like this before.

The song structures are phenomenally laid out so the songs start off soft and melodic and slowly build up in tension. After a few minutes the tension has built up to a certain high point, and background fuzz comes in. At this precise moment the track has hit it's peak. Seachange then drops the hammer and starts rocking out, though the song has the same mood as it started off with. The transitions are so masterfully handled they will blow your mind. No other album out of 2004 can even touch this.

on first listen I liked the unusual arrangement, the minor key punk inclinations. I thought of pavement, six by seven, sonic youth also broken social scene back to mogwai.

Lyrically it rocks. The lay of the land as it is.

I bought this CD on a whim. I was at Tower records, at the listening stations, having never heard of these guys, and was sold before track 2. Other CDs Ive picked up the past 3 years without ever hearing of the band and loved them and they later became big or at least known are Thursday, The White Stripes, Motion City SOundtrack, Ben Kweller, Brand New, The Libertines, Rooney, and Bayside. This one is definitely right up there with all of em.

that's a pretty good album, although I didn't expect it after I first listened to it..but it develops after a couple more listenings to a very good debut-album. there are quite a lot songs which will stuck in your head for many many hours so you'll love them forever..okay, not not forever..it's not that good..but....