Customer Reviews

Seamonsters

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4 star:		(1)
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More than a decade after its release, "Seamonsters" still finds its way into my CD player at least once a month. The Wedding Present are well-known in their native Britain for publishing 12 successive top-ten singles in one year (rivaling only Elvis Presley by achieving the feat), and the releases from that year are perhaps more representative of the "true" Wedding Present sound. However, the Steve Albini-produced "Seamonsters" packages David Gedge's ex-girlfriend-drunk-dial lyrics, painfully honest growl and moan, and beached-whale guitar sounds into a pop landscape that undulates, aches and ultimately leaves you wishing you could fold the lead singer in a comforting embrace - though you sense he might just push you away. Even if this CD does not become a portal to your Wedding Present addiction, as it did for me, it will remain a top-of-the-stack favorite for driving, getting over bad dates, and high volume reality escapes.

If The Wedding Present came from Seattle they would probably be held in the same esteem as Nirvana are nowadays. "Seamonsters" was released the same year as "Nevermind" but is relatively obscure compared to that monster album. Still, sales alone does not a great album make and this is right up there with "Nevermind" in quality (some may argue that it's better).
"Seamonsters" moved away from the all out "fast and furious" approach of it's predecessor "Bizzaro". It is a lot more dynamic with delicate passages of music that sound like they're almost going to fall apart giving way to fierce multilayered guitar assaults. Breathtaking stuff and definitely not easy listening. That's not to say that there isn't any sweet pop music on this album "Heather", "Rotterdam" and "Dalliance" are wonderful tunes that point to Gedge's future pop writings with Cinerama and the Hit Parade tracks that immediately followed this album.
Lyrically he's again talking about love that has been lost, but the scenarios are more varied and unconventional this time around ("Octopussy" being an example). If you're fed up with the hundreds of dour "nu-metal" (or whatever they're calling it this week) soundalike [stuff] that clogs up the airwaves at the moment, this album will be a breath of fresh air. Honest music, honest production...awesome.

Seamonsters took a while for me to appreciate, mainly due to Steve Albini's production style. Production is probably the wrong word as it seems like he puts a couple microphones in the back of the recording studio and that's it. David Gedge's lyrics are a bit drowned-out in the mix. Having a lyric sheet would have aided things greatly.

But once you get past that, Seamonsters is the greatest loud-soft-loud (a style which Nirvana made very popular that same year -- hell, same month -- with Nevermind) album ever. "Dalliance" builds with Gedge's anger to a fury of noise that's just incredible. The whole album's great. Albini's approach to recording the band (which had previously suffered from serious '80s-itis over-reverbing), brings out the bands strengths -- not just Peter Salowka's blurry strumming but the intensity of Simon Smith's drumming. Albini may make any band seem noisier than usual, but he gets the drums right (see PJ Harvey's Dry or Nirvana's In Uetero). Every song is fantastic. A must-own.

A very underrated band who have been making powerful, teen-angst albums for years. Seamonsters is the best - a kind of cross between Nirvana and The Smiths without the inflated sense of self-importance. David Gedge's strained vocals singing tales of loss and unrequited love backed by a wall of distorted guitars, stand like a beacon of honesty in these times of throwaway pop anthems.

The first time I listened to this CD I knew it would become one of my favorites. The opening riff of Dalliance is merely an overture to the experience in which you are about to partake.

What makes this CD unique is, regardless of your state-of-mind, it wills you into that of the the artists' intended listener. From that point forward, you are guided by TheWeddingPresent through the rest of this work.

This CD is unmistakenly beautiful. I used to hear influences of Joy Division & The Buzzcocks. The time signatures reflected the early Pixies (but I doubt any influence). Now Seamonsters has taken on a life of its' own.

It's been 12 years since I originally purchased this CD. It still yields a different emotional interpretation everytime I listen to it.

As a long-term Wedding Present fan, I'm pleased to see this album getting such good reviews. If you are interested in the Wedding Present, and you like a bit of noisy angst in your music, then I believe this is where you should start. Great melodies buried beneath a wall of noise and feedback. To me it's an interesting contrast of love-lost, but sweet, lyrics, and music that portrays the underlying anger that often follows. It's not an easy listen at first, and if you put it on the hi-fi unannounced it provides a useful way of encouraging unwanted visitors to leave , but to me it remains the best album of the 90s and sounds as fresh today as the day I first heard it.

Knowing that I am a huge fan of material produced by studio wiz Steve Albini, a friend of mine recently turned me on to this release from The Wedding Present. All I can say is that this album is mindbogglingly great! I believe another review mentioned the fact that "Seamonsters" was released the same year that Nirvana's "Nevermind" came out. Well, it is quite possible that the guys from Nirvana loved the sound so much that they quickly enlisted producer Steve Albini to help them out on their very next release, "In Utero." This CD is full of loud-soft dynamics and tormented vocals struggling to claw their way out from under layers of guitars. "Dalliance" is a perfect example of this technique, and it is also present in PJ Harvey's Albini-produced gem "Rid of Me." Anyway, if you are a fan of "In Utero" you should do yourself a favor and check out "Seamonsters." It is also worth mentioning that the lyrics are quite romantic in a jaded sort of way that reminded me of Roxy Music. Also, at times David Gedge's vocals sound a little bit like Morrissey, but believe me, the Smiths never sounded this good. Every song on here is a classic, but don't expect to "get" it on the first listen. Subsequent listens only make this one better and better to the discerning ear. Enjoy!

Seamonsters is the Wedding Present at its best. And the Wedding Present... well, if you are reading this, you will know how great they are and how brushed under the carpet they have been. As much as I love them, I don't mind their relative obscurity. It is always easier to get into their shows that way! Selfish, I know. Seamonsters is blessed with being a perfect album. Not a single bad song here. Dalliance's "He's got you back and that's all he wants; a lot more than I'm left with..."-missing you laments, Blonde's "I meant every word that I said... yes, I was that naive" and Rotterdam's "I wanted you, but not the way you think" are the gems in this crowning achievement of personal torment and whirling guitars...

Missing from Amazon.com are the band's Watusi (which is SOOOO GOOD YOU COULD EAT IT!), Mini Plus and Saturnalia. Read on for more info on those...

MINI PLUS Nine song EP full of noisy, great guitar driven songs about pining, relationships in which one loves and the other doesn't, about still being in love but leaving, jealousy, and shame. All classic Wedding Present themes. "I warned you I might go, but what I didn't mention then... is that I'm never coming back again". Excellent tracks here are "Sports Car", "Sucker" ("I fell for all that love crap..."), and "Mercury", which is my favourite of all tracks here with its bittersweet lyrics and the buildup to a climactic ending musically.

SATURNALIA...Okay so this is not the Wedding Present's best. But this is the best band you have never heard of! Of course, if you are reading this review, chances are, you are one of the lucky few! I echo the sentiments of other reviewers... Wedding Present is a hard band to listen to at first... Gedge's voice is quite unique and takes getting used to. The music rips and tears and when you actually listen to the lyrics, it is almost hard to believe that such lovesick teenager words could be coupled with the harder-edged, angsty musical sound. But indeed, this is what Wedding Present's career has been all about. Very noisy... careering between the lovesick, semi-obsessive lover and the more indifferent heartbreaker. My favourite track on this album is "Montréal" in which the narrator of the song is asking someone to move in with him, "but you just said no-I've got somewhere else to go, and the plans I've made, don't include you, I'm afraid." This is classic Wedding Present.

In the early 90's at one of the many low points of my life I discovered the Wedding Present. The music was vast, rambled on and was delivered with a bone crushing intensity. It seemed perfect. I related to everything about it except the lyrics ( well maybe a little). David Gedge seemed like a magnent for bad relationships, flirting and acting kinda dirty or sleazy. All of which I WASN'T BUT ADMIRED. Seamonsters marked a different direction for the band. Their fast and frenetic playing was augmented by the production duties of Steve Albini. Giving all the songs a puchy live in your living room feel that Albini does on all his productions. One of my favorite albums of the 90's. The only thing that is close to filler are the added b-sides. Even those are good.

This album was very defining. If you think you still have a mean streak... you DO! I listened to this album so many times when it came out. I also saw them twice live. David Gedge is back there selling t-shirts. The antithesis of a rock star.

Just updating earlier comments: you can see from other reviewers that this album really hits the spot. There is a song that sounds just like a chainsaw. The song/album "Brassneck," on a State of the Independent mix from late 80's, got me hooked. I bought about everything put out since. Hit Parade (the black one, not the white) is really damn good too.