Number 7 of 2004 – Seize: The Other Side of your Mind

Seize are another band I discovered on the Belgian Alfa-Matrix label. Started in 1995 by Sandrine Gouriou, and later adding Steven Young, Seize released their debut EP Blades in 1999. In 2001, their debut album Lunacy was released to critical acclaim in all areas EBM. A mix of trip hop and electronica.

The Other Side of Your Mind was released in 2003. Now with Rosie Harris on board, this anglo-french trio took their style more towards breakbeat. Indeed, their website states ‘breakbeat electronica’ on their strapline. With this album, we have a more electronic, danceable version of first-album Kosheen – perhaps their closest comparison.

Musically and lyrically, things are all a bit on a downer. Opening track The Other Side launches with “One single word. Can change everything. Try to make it work. For you and me.” And it doesn’t get any better from there. The crunching dub-break of 100 Years is all obsessive devotion: “I’m locked in a cell. Since the day you left. I won’t try to escape. Just for you I’ll wait.” It’s also a track that exhibits the lovely, exotic nature of Sandrine’s voice, which sounds vaguely eastern european.

Fortunately there are ups. Unbreakable has gated pads which bring the song into trance territory. However, there are thumping bass drums which take the song slightly off the commercial line. That said, the entire album has many aspects which are commercially attractive. Too Good to Be True, my personal favourite, launches with electronic handclaps, moves seamlessly between euro-pop to trance, and successfully takes the band away from it’s breakbeat formulae.

But they really do need to tidy up couple of the arrangements. For example, the awfully amateur synth backing to the chorus of Eyes Water should have been rewritten. And there are songs which simply outstay their welcome. Astute editing of the endings of some tracks would have made this twelve track album more attractive and certainly shorter than its 60 minute running time.

One area that Seize have spot on is intros. They know how to write intros. It’s not simply straight into a song. Seize use intros to set or change a mood, or to introduce elements of a track which get recalled or reworked later. Much like classical music does. There are some delightful melodies hidden away. Similarly, there are inventive breaks and drops. The aforementioned 100 Years diverts briefly from its intentional strident breakbeat backing for a foray into jungle.

Lost in Space has a good example of an intro that takes the listener into a spacey, ambient environment, which after what has gone before it, is a useful trick.

Weird Dreams is one of the two tracks that bring the album to a close. This is full of swirling dubbiness, leading into the beautiful string-laden Who Am I, which is all sad, sleepy, but strangely uplifting. Maybe it’s just me?

Seize have just released the debut album of their O.V.N.I. side project (that’s Objet volant non identifié, by the way), and there’s some shock news that they are now all members of the recently relaunched Visage. Strange indeed!