Seabound - Double-Crosser

Seabound returned in late 2006 with their third full length, Double Crosser. Much like the tunes on their previous releases, the songs on Double Crosser promote a dance atmosphere while retaining those infectious synth patterns and airy vocals. Not 100% EBM, future-pop, or synthie, Double Crosser crosses the boundary between all three and blends them together in a wonderfully addictive package. From Scorch the Ground to Breathe, you’ll find yourself tapping your feet and singing along. Some of the subtleties within the tracks, be it the whispered vocals in The Promise to the rhythmic breakdown in Domination to the piano sounds in October Song, are what keep me coming back for more. It seems that each track has something that I find myself looking forward to as I listen through the disc. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Double Crosser rounds out at just shy of 50 minutes which, considering the 60+ minute time frames that most albums fall into, is the only relative downfall I could find. Fret not though as Dependent Records released a 2CD version of Double Crosser which features another 30 minutes of remixes and collaborations, including a beefed up and rougher version of The Promise as created by Covenant. Rotersand take a very similar approach to their mix of Scorch the Ground. Again, the beats are pushed into the forefront in order to create a more club friendly piece, but by doing so, some of the soul of the original is lost. By far the best mix on here is Seabound’s own club mix of The Promise in which they just did some slight tweaking on the rhythmic elements to get them a big higher in the mix, thus creating a true club version of the original. With the bonus CD, you’re looking at approximately 77 minutes worth of Seabound which is enough to satiate my need, for the time being.

written Nov '06