Seefeel - Seefeel

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

4...according to our Ant on Fri 28 Jan, 2011.

Ahhhhhhhhhh - Our beloved Seefeel > True masters of sublime deep-gaze-tronics. Fellow travellers into their sonic world will concur of tales being lost and immersed in their timeless classics. I didn't know what to expect of their recent 10" when I heard about ot but to be honest I'd have been happy of more of the same from them but Mark Clifford is clearly an adventurous spirit and progressive thinker so re-introducing the group in the same recognizable form was never going to happen. Also when you take Mark Van Hoen's influence out the sound out of the equation things are bound to change. Admittedly I did struggle to find appealing elements on the recent 10" but having heard this it is totally due for a reappraisal as the new sound is making far more sense. Things here proceed in a fuzzy dubbed out way and rather than the more infinite sounding effects things feel more measured. I can detect a sort of mix of old German influences coupled with some more contemporary dubstep elements. Sarah's vocals sound as ghostly as ever. I'm thoroughly enjoying the more raw and rugged moments like the chugging spasms of 'Gzaug' complete with trademark hazy electronics. Also the percussion hits harder this time round with the jagged spooked hip-hop/ dub hybrid 'Rip Run'. I reckon there is certainly enough elements of old and new present to keep yee olde followers happy and also gain a new team of loyal followers. For example closer 'Sway' could probably be sneaked into a dubstep set with its semi-compatible awkward rhythmic swagger while still having those almost devotional vocal drones we all adore. After repeated listens this is gonna continue to grow. Great to have these guys back, defying expectations and simultaneously sounding fresh and relevant while retaining their original magic.

· Vaulting beyond the renowned shoegaze scene, and playing
with two new members that “underpin their dream-glossed,
loop-heavy soundscapes and tunes with a heavy powerhouse of
a rhythm section” (Loud & Quiet), seminal band Seefeel have
followed their first UK shows in 14 years and teaser single
‘Faults’ by releasing ‘Seefeel’, their first album since 1996’s
‘(CH-VOX)’.

· The self-titled album, showcasing a more muscular, powerful
edge to the band, was born out of an incendiary performance
at Warp Records’ 20th anniversary celebrations in Paris last
year – and marks their return to the label they started with in
the early nineties.

· Describing their performance in Paris as “unbelievable”, Warp
co-founder Steve Beckett asked the band to make another
record as they came offstage. “They came back six months
later – not just with a record, but a great record. This band
needs to be heard, they need to be seen so that’s why we got
involved again. Family members might leave for a long time but
they always come home.”

· The band’s recent shows, their first on these shores for over a
decade, have been “punishingly loud; played with a
professional politeness that skirted-over any ‘it’s great to be
back’-bullsh*t.’” (Loud & Quiet), with “the sense-scouring
intensity… hard to fault” (The Times), first selling out London’s
Institute of Contemporary Arts, then supporting Michael Rother
and friends playing the music of Neu! at the Barbican.