Customer Reviews

When Black Beats Blue

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

 

 

I had the great pleasure of seeing Seabound live last month on the Alliance II tour with fellow German synthpop group De/Vision. While at the show, I had the opportunity to buy an early (signed) copy of WHEN BLACK BEATS BLUE. The copy I bought has two tracks. Track 11 is "Domination [Die Form]" and track 12 is a live version of "Watching Over You". The album is over an hour long. The cd is a collection of remixes by the likes of Hecq, Mindless Faith, Haujobb, and Die Form. For me remix albums are a hit or miss, usually a miss. This was not the case with WHEN BLACK BEATS BLUE. I found myself enjoying the entire album, most of it anyways. I really enjoyed "Domination vs. Bound [Mindless Faith]". I liked how fast and harsh the beats are on this particular track. They definitely breathed new life into the song, which I can say the same about the other remixes. It seemed rather odd that a live concert track was featured on an album that features mostly remixes but I did like "Watching Over You" quite a bit, and after seeing Seabound live, this live track brings back memories of when I saw them last month. The only track I could have lived without was "The Attic". It did nothing for me but overall I liked WHEN BLACK BEATS BLUE. It is a nice hold me over until a new Seabound album of original material.

Seabound is a great band with great talent. Thieir former discs have made me very happy and I'm proud to say that they have proven many people wrong about the quality of the genre going downhill. Still, this is not a dics but is instead a mixture of really good talent coming in and marching through the songs to give you an mix ranging from the borderline to the bizarre.

If you are wanting a collections of singles and remixes, then this is a good playground for you. It has all types of that and a bit more AND it will save you some time and tribute buy picking this up. If you like your helpings new and have been waiting for something sexy from Seabbound, waiting is still the name of the game. Sadly, it is the name of the game for a lot of bands, too, and I do not really know if I like the way this goes. Much like having a B-side on a single, this is the same thing that makes me want something but not want it bad enough to actually pick it up. Don't get me wrong, either, because I love Seabound. I bought a few mixes on the album because I thought they were good listens but, for the life of me, I could not buy the whole thing.

In my mind (and this is only me - you are the buyer and you know best)it spins like this:

New to Seabound? Buy something else.

Diehard Fan? buy it all.

Middle of the road? Pick your mix.

This is a fantastic CD if you like a mellower version of Techno and Industrial music. I was floored by the talent these two men possess. Very good listening!!