Apr
19
Seeed
April 19, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Seeed are excellent. They’ve got the joyous touch and carefree hip-hop sound of N.E.R.D, the rawness of someone like Dizzee Rascal and some of the most innovative reggae touches I’ve heard in a while. A total mish-mash of influences that totally gels.
Apparently this eleven-piece were on the world jazz stage at last year’s Glastonbury which is a great coup for a German band although I wouldn’t say they have anything at all to do with jazz.
Where they really hit home is in the mixing of German and English – something most German bands struggle with. They have an uncanny ability to get the lyrics just right whatever language they choose, sometimes mixing the two in a single song (such as on Aufstehn! and Ding, ‘Du bist Queen und ich bin King’) without it sounding twee.
Next!
(50% native)
Brilliant stuff. Electro-funk with superb reggae touches. Note there is an international version of Next! with more English on it coming out on 5/5/06 (but not in the UK). Standout tracks : Aufstehn! (Get Up), Ding (Thing), Stand Up, Please, Please.
The band’s own website describes them as ‘Berlins groovigstes Musikkollektiv’ which I don’t think needs translation but if you’re puzzled just stick the CD on . . . you’ll soon get it. Message to Seed’s management: if you don’t release in the UK then you’re nuts.