SEAS is everything good about the Canadian east coast scene of the early 90s ever wished it could have been. Chances are if you grew up in Canada during those days you’ll dig Seas’ big new sonic sound.
Witnessing Chris’s (Hippy) dreads nearly take out other members of the band, on a small stage in London, I couldn’t help but think of, (sorry in advance for the reference guys), the Doughboys. Now before you stop reading and flip to the next web distraction, let me expand on that – imagine a really dark, cool, awesome new version of those guys, but better though. Borrowing from such influential bands like Eric’s Trip, Thrush Hermit and adding some Sloan and Gandharvas to the vocals with a dash of Mystery Machine on the wall of guitars, Hippy has injected new life into a once lost and forgotten sound/scene with a brand new buzz that is SEAS.
The first time I caught Seas perform they were playing an intimate unplugged quiet set for their CD release at Cylinder Sound Ltd a few months ago. I knew the songs were great at the time but was completely blown away when they hit the stage, plugged in, and cranked their amps up at Hard Luck in TO later that week. It’s like a sonic wall of guitar noise hitting you in dynamic waves of swells and explosions. Their high energy set is worth experiencing and does much justice to their first release, Fade Out and into The Night. I got to spend some time with the band down in London, ON where they played Call The Office with Say Yes.
Right out of the gate Seas attack your under-appreciated ear drums with a high energy catchy guitar-driven rocker Beautiful Truth, followed up with an equally ear-friendly Blue Skies/Sunshine full of fuzzy guitars and spacey vocal harmonies. This album will take you back to the days of 500 Up, Eric’s Trip 4 track recordings and Thrush Hermit’s dirty On the Sneak French Kisses.
There’s a crazy triumphant ending of track 3, Bloodworks, that’s worth headphone viewing and I’m seriously in love with track 5, Lost in Time and fun continues through to track 9, You Walk Away. This is my favourite, not only because I’ve seen them live, but also because it’s just a stand out song. This has everything a broken-hearted teenaged angst 16 year old needs to get through high school.
Featuring Chris Hughes (singer/songwriter) with brother, Moneen alumni Peter Krpan on drums and back ups and Erik Hughes (singer of Cunter) on bass and Mike Bolt and Adrian Mottram on guitars, this 5-piece outfit are here to destroy.
For the record – Seas are NOT Moneen but just as awesome. Fans will definitely dig this new departure and quickly jump on board.
I’m giving their 1st release a solid 4 out of 5 Ears but only because I like their live show better than this album. It’s an awesome recording but in my opinion, doesn’t really capture what they pull off on stage. Go see this band.
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