Seeming - The Birdwatcher's Guide to Atrocity (Review)
First though, some background. Who exactly are Seeming? Well, it's the project of Alex Reed and Aaron Fuleki, both prior members of the gothic-industrial band ThouShaltNot. Having worked together for over twenty years at this point, it's clear the duo are cohesive enough in their work for the ideas of Alex to translate through to Aaron's chaotic yet polished production, and bringing in avant-garde percussionist Sarah Hennies to work on this album was likely a smart decision given the increased, political scope present here, but also the increased scope due to hoe much poppier than their previous albums this is. In fact, I find the pop sensibilities of the memorable, well-written hooks to be extremely complimentary to Alex Reed's aforementioned melodrama, his theatrical vocals soaring above each track. Well, each track but one...
The only song that doesn't land for me is, unfortunately, "Learn to Vanish". In spite of its promising title, "Learn to Vanish" is a pretty dull affair, a winding, pretty instrumental backing a spoken word piece by Avant-pop legend Bill Drummond, his voice certainly bringing personality through his expressive delivery, but it just doesn't hold up when compared to how developed the narratives of the other songs are. That said, it still features some good ideas, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Moving back to the album's introduction, the group certainly knows how to put their best foot forward, "The Fates" acting as a truly epic opener, some of the most "world music"-influenced instrumentation towards the end, and also some of the best drumming and production, as mentioned earlier courtesy of Sarah Hennies.
Elsewhere, the album peaks with what I like to consider a two-song centrepiece with "End Studies" and "Permanent", the former acting as something of a call-back to the duo's time as ThouSaltNot due to its heavily industrial influence, as well as some of my favourite lyrics on the record as Alex acknowledges his place in the revolution he's anticipating, particularly with the line "I was born to make my kind extinct". The latter song "Permanent" stands out as the album's most theatrical, melodramatic and challenging track, its lyrics purposefully all over the place as it employs irony and metaphors, tied together in their constant depictions of loss. It can get dark, particularly in the second verse's explicit mention of suicide; however, the song is perhaps the best example of the undercurrent of optimism that runs throughout the album, helping to alleviate the otherwise depressive verses with a chorus that's brazen, bold and certain, that certainty rare given the album's themes of dealing with the confusing mix of politics and emotion that plagues our modern lives.
I am hoping that Seeming continues to explore this niche musical style, as well as the concepts of revolution from such a personal yet outwardly reflective perspective, a concept that wasn't quite fully realised on this album. That said, I highly recommend this album for what it does achieve, with almost all the ideas being exciting and quite unique. It's a great project, but it could have been excellent, and that's where I want Seeming to get to next.
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