| Artist |
| Seize |
| Title |
| Constant Fight |
| Format/Cat |
| CD AM1097CD |
| Label |
| Alfa Matrix |
| Style |
| Electronic accoustic pop |
| Date of review |
| 20th September 2009 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7/10 |
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As the sleevenotes remind us, it's been 5 years since Seize's last album so it's good to see Sandrine, Stephen & Rosie's latest effort finally seeing the light of day. As we all know they've not been idle in the intervening period, what with OVNI & an ill-fated turn backing Steve Strange as Visage but they've also used the time to transform their music into a more organic blend of pop electronica that mixes acoustic sounds (Rosie's bass guitar notwithstanding) with the ever-present synthetic ones. In this regard it's not totally dissimilar to some of Mesh's recent works but as soon as Sandrine's exotic, husky vocals make their entrance, there's no doubt who you are listening to. I don't know if it's just my fevered imagination but I'm sure the French accent has been emphasised throughout the album but she certainly sounds better than ever, adding a touch of class throughout, not least on the superb 'One Second Hallucination' which is quite possibly the best song the band have ever written, being utterly infectious & excellent while the trance-flavoured 'Craving For More' provides a welcome adrenaline boost. However, the track that is sure to gain the most attention is the unbelievable 'Who's Your Teacher?' which is probably the sexiest song you'll ever hear with lyrics like 'moving between my hips/breathing between my lips' opening up all sorts of delicious visions & how many fantasies do the lines 'Please do not reject me/I will be your teacher' bring to mind? (the video's a good laugh, too!). At times, the overtly poppy elements do at times make for 'OK' tracks rather than excellent one (in my humble opinion!) such as during 'Travelling' which starts with a harder edge but loses it a bit on the less than inspiring chorus while 'Am I Just Like You' is a varied but somewhat lightweight opener, although it does set the scene for the goodies that follow. Actually, it's the tracks where they take more chances that work out best such as the (sampled?) twangy guitar riffs that for the basis of 'Troubled Minds', making for a decidedly gritty feel while the orchestral elements add to the already dramatic mood; likewise, some effective rhythmic cascades provide a punchy counterpoint to the typically sensuous vocals of 'Fight For Your Constant Sun' while 'Is There Another Way?' reintroduces the drum n bass rhythms that marked their earlier works in unison with some lounge-like elements before 'Sick In The Head' ends the album with a slab of dynamic trance with Sandrine's vocals emerging from & melting into the atmospheric electronic soundscape. It feels freeform (but probably isn't) & is the sort of track you can get totally lost in, in fact a 12" vinyl mix of this will, I'm sure, go down a storm in clubs across the globe, even mainstream ones!
With this album under their belts Seize prove they've got what it takes to join the top echelons of modern electronica, with a potential appeal that far outstrips any gothic/industrial/dark music audiences, hopefully the organisers of more eclectic festivals such as Lovebox will take notice of what they've done here, now, wouldn't that be something?
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