Seaweed Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Give these guys some credit for sticking with the program. For one, they're from Seattle -- okay, Tacoma. And they're very screamy and fast and indecipherable, sort of a slightly less impatient Alice In Chains with a very hip low sincerity factor. They played D.I.Y. with the Sub Pop label for their first three records, went ambitiously astray by signing with Hollywood Records (for the deeply off-track Spanaway), then did the cool right thing by returning to indie Merge. Actions and Indications is all proper punk roots with too much guitar and fearsome early-'80s vocalizing, thanks to fretblazers Wade Neal and Clint Werner, and singer Aaron Stauffer. "Antilyrical" is exactly that, and "Thru the Window" has exactly four perfect David Bowie moments, not that it would necessarily please the band to know that. "Warsaw" is a classically anxious grunge tune, as is "Against the Sky," where you can't make out a thing, lyrically speaking. So the question is: if Seaweed has all the perfect feist and punkambulation, why is it so...ho-hum? One of the great mysteries of superloud, well-intended garage. ~ Becky Byrkit, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After guitarist Clint Werner turned his basement into a 16-track studio, the band members self-produced their fourth album with a clear debt to the surge of grunge. Their punk roots are given a good Bleach-ing as the band turns up the Nirvana-isms, with roaring guitars and greater use of dynamics along with more measured tempos. Still punchier than most of their Sabbath-bred Northwestern contemporaries, cuts such as "Card Tricks" and "Wait for the Fade" alternate slow, heavy riff-driven passages with loud and fast rule breaks. The overdriven, thicker sound sometimes obscures the band's inherent charm, with songs like "Chalk the Cracks" and "Turnout" seeming a little stiff in comparison to the insistent rush of "One Inch Punch" or the churning, moody anthems "Losing Skin" and "Kid Candy." This could also be partly due to the production, which had seemed crisp with Jack Endino on previous albums, but here seems a little saturated. Another problem is singer Aaron Stauffer's decision to offer a hoarse shout rather than sing on a number of the songs. Still, there's a lot to recommend this album, not the least of which is the band's ample energy -- as evidenced in the open-throttle attack of "In Fairness" -- and swooning, melancholy guitar melodics. ~ Chris Parker, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Combining the bottom-heavy throb that would epitomize the Northwest in the wake of Nirvana (Nevermind was released just months before the recording of this album) with a punchy, melodic power punk sound, Seaweed is Tacoma's answer to Superchunk. Wade Neal and Clint Werner wind crunchy riffs around a melodic core recalling early Orange County punk (Descendents, Adolescents), grounded by a pounding beat. The occasionally riff-heavy throb is leavened by Aaron Stauffer's impassioned lead vocals, which rise to the front of the mix and pour out the standard indie rock blues of frustration ("Stagger"), alienation ("Taxing," "Bill"), and lost youth ("Recall," "New Tools"). But the easy categorization doesn't diminish the power of the band. Producer Jack Endino gets a tough, live sound with great separation that allows the energy to envelop the listener in the soaring bridge of "New Tools," the machine gun drum-punch of "Stagger," or the effusive sunny bounce of "Squint," which epitomizes their open-hearted punk attitude when Stauffer sings, "When you place the blame/try to look past all their badges/If you squint hard/you'll find some beauty in it all." ~ Chris Parker, All Music Guide
