Seeed - Seeed (Sony Music)

After a five-year break Seeed returns in full force: their new album entered the German charts at number one and 250.000 copies have sold already! Seeed was originally created out of a true passion for music (no one is a member of fifteen man strong combo for the money) and solely consists of capable musicians. Once again this album features typical big band vibes fuelled with various electronic influences. That being said, nothing else reminds us of previous Seeed albums.

Reggae fans expecting typical Seeed-riddims like Doctor's Darling ('Waterpumpee'), will be sadly disappointed. 'Seeed' could prove a revelation for open-minded music lovers though: it's a surprising album in which numerous genres and sounds are intertwined. By now, the musicians of Seeed know the genre through and through enabling them to push their boundaries. The album is creative and experimental, and of course musically top notch, but that's also what makes the album somewhat difficult to label: first one hears classic strings, than retro rap followed by heavy distortion guitars or a Super Mario tune.

On the whole there is a typical big band feel which is sort of reminiscent of a film soundtrack. As a listener you therefore have a lot to get through in a short span of time. Perhaps this album isn't for everyone: if you are looking for a collection of simple contagious reggae hit riddims, you might want to reconsider; yet for an eclectic musical voyage of discovery you have come to the right place.