Search - Seachange :: Lay of the Land

UK hard rock...with a violin

CGC | Los Angeles, CA USA | 04/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."