Seapony - Go With Me

4:51 PM Kraze422 No comments

Seapony is a up and coming band from the Seattle area, and this is their debut album released the end of this May. I grabbed it knowing little about what it would sound like besides that it would be indie-ish. I'm not going to say I had high hopes for this album, in fact I had no expectations at all having heard so little about them, but even at that I was very disappointed and let down.

The band is made up of four people. The guitarist (who is the primary song writer), a female vocalist, a bassist, and Señor Drum Machine. The guitarist Danny Rowland and vocalist Jen Weidl are a couple. And boy do they make that painfully obvious with the music. Every single song on here reminds me of the situation of when your friend gets into a relationship that they're completely obsessed with and they will absolutely not shut up about. Call me a cynic, but it gets on my nerves after 12 songs with lyrics like "I miss you every day, I wish you'd stay" repeated over and over again to the point where I want to rip my hair out. Don't get me wrong, I'm usually fine with songs about love and the blissful feelings a new relationship can bring, but the Jen sings them like she just woke up and has all the emotion of a water bottle.. She mumbles and puts absolutely no emotion behind her voice, and then on top of that it's slathered in reverb which just makes it feel even less passionate than it already is. The allmusic blog recently interviewed them and when the vocalist Jen was asked about her influence for vocals she said "I think vocals sound best when you’re not trying to hard. I try to sound like I’m bored or hate singing whatever song I’m singing. That’s when it turns out best!" Well, at least she KNOWS she sounds bored. And maybe this is just a personal taste thing but to me if the vocalist sounds bored, unless it's done in a very specific way, I get bored.

Musically, the songs aren't TOO terrible. Some of the guitar riffs by themselves get me feeling a little bouncy and are catchy enough, but it's not nearly enough to redeem everything else about this album. Bass might as well not be there with how low of a volume it has and how little it's involved and then there's just a drum machine beating out the most simple things possible that a 10 year old drummer could do. And then they make it louder than the bass, an actual live instrument in the album. The feel and mood of the album makes me feel like I'm on a California beach and watching people surfing without it being actual surf rock. It seems that what they're trying to get at is dream pop, kind of like older Blonde Redhead albums, but the only thing that really makes it feel like that are the reverbed vocals and how bored she sounds. Cheesy lyrics sung in an incredibly dull manner and less than innovative song writing causes for a pretty "meh" experience. I certainly won't be returning to this album after I post this review.

Overall this album was just painful to me. I gave it many listens and kept trying to like it, but despite the occasional catchy guitar riff I got nothing good from this. However maybe those less cynical would enjoy this more than me, and I know there have been some out there that have been enjoying it. So I'm not telling you to completely stay away from this. But I can only really recommend it to those that are really, REALLY, into indie pop and simple lovey lyrics. It's chill and I guess would make a good summer album if you're into this sort of thing. Even then it's an incredibly light recommendation. But this whole review is just my opinion, and it won't be everyone's. If you're curious listen and see what you think.

1.5/5

Favorite songs: Into The Sea

Posted in: 2011,Go With Me,Hardly Art Records,indie pop,Seapony