Seefeel have officially come back after nearly 15 years of absence from the scene. After Faults was released back in September, their names were scattered all over blogs as if the band never left at all. From a band that was so innovative for their time, what would they make of their newest full length outing?
Where the band had previously utilized shoegazy atmospherics to their brand of ambient techno to combine current music trends with fresh musical waters, Seefeel feels comparatively less inspired and musically complex. As "Dead Guitars"' slowly creeping melody winds down into nothing, only to resurface nearly identically in "Step Up", it feels as if they've wasted not only your time, but theirs also. Already settling on this as their 'come back' would normally have me questioning how much longer I'd stick around for this album to play out. Luckily, the band literally bounces back with the romp of the previously released "Faults", which manages to stand out amongst the mediocrity so far. "Gzaug" takes the ambient dub efforts of the past and refurbishes them with new electronics. "Rip-Run" is seven minutes of noisy feedback-laden swelling and echoing that is, while completely aimless, a dark and brooding track worthy of a come back.
Much of the album seems to follow in the footsteps of "Rip-Run", like the ensuing track, "Making", which glides along effortlessly, not attempting to take you anywhere except where it feels like flowing. "Airless" introduces a vocal sample that, while chopped and disfigured amongst the distorted backdrop of the song, is emotive and genuinely pleasant. In many ways, that goes for what Seefeel have accomplished with their full length return. Sure, it's pleasant. Even enjoyable in parts, mainly the ones where they ride a rhythmic groove into the unknown sonic universe. It's where they attempt to paint a spectral landscape that the music becomes wildly uninteresting.
As "Sway" enforces the album's strengths one final time, doing exactly what its title would imply, the album fades to nothing. And just like that, Seefeel's long awaited return disappears into the ocean of music that gets released every year.
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