SeepeopleS

Review: SeepeopleS at 550 Blues last Thursday

I don't typically see many bands from Boston come to our fair city. I don't know if it's distance or just that they haven't figured out how awesome Macon is yet.

I was glad to see SeepeopleS play, and not just because of the geographic novelty. I'd heard good things about them before from a local musician and I figure they know what they're talking about.

The first thing I noticed, before they even started playing, was the complexity of their setup. There were at least a half-dozen keyboards, what looked like an adding machine (perhaps a sequencer?) and more pedals than you could shake a stick at. They also had a projector and screen set up at the back of the stage.

Their first song was very spacey and a little noodley at the beginning, kind of like Pink Floyd meets the instrumentals from Steve Miller Band songs. Then it started to pick up a bit, with some funky bassline going on, which made me smile.

Once they started singing (and it did take a while,) I got excited. They had good harmonies! And the guitar lines were pretty, with a lovely layer of fuzz to drench everything. I spent enough time in Texas to get somewhat steeped in psych, and I make no apologize for my love of poppy noise.

At times lead singer Will sounded like Chris Robinson, and sometimes he was more Lennonesque. What I really liked about the band is that even with the simplest melodies, they layered on plenty of sounds and influences, whether it was church organ, space bloops and bleeps or dub reggae reverb.

One of the tracks off "Corn Syrup Conspiracy" came across like sunny indie pop, with some squiggly effects and some rocking dub sections. The next tune reminded me very much of the Paul McCartney section of one of my favorite Beatles songs, "A Day In The Life."

Sometimes I get bored with long instrumental sequences, but SeepeopleS kept it interesting for me. Their sound was architectural in nature and was quite beautiful to my ears.

I didn't catch a lot of the lyrics, but I liked the lines "Do you know what evolution has in store for you?/Do you think we are exceptions to the only rule?" from "Dinosaur." From checking out their site it seems many of the lyrics have political overtones. But there are also silly love songs and stuff.

One of their songs sounded like a tweak on "I Am One" off Smashing Pumpkins' first album, complete with Indian-inspired guitar lines. Except there was no singing. In the background a variety of images flashed on the screen, from 1950s illustration to band home footage to art installation stuff.

I only stayed for the first set, because I am lame, but I heard that Will Robinson, formerly of Moonshine Still , was set to make an appearance. I appreciated SeepeopleS for being a deviation from the norm and hope they weren't scared off by the light attendance, because I think more folks need to see/hear them.

They have a bunch of MP3s on their site, so I decided to post their cover of Porno for Pyros' "Pets" from a fall show. Warning: contains explicit lyrics.

Maggie
Amped Magazine - Maggie

Voice of the 'PeopleS'

By David Eduardo
Correspondent

Three-night stands at the Georgia Theatre often are described as ambitious. Each winter, a large fraction of the denizens (read: nearly the entire student body) migrate to suburban Atlanta and points beyond. So when a jam band like Perpetual Groove hunkers down in Athens the last three days of December, it can be perceived as overkill, or at the very least peculiar.

To borrow a line from Lee Corso (forgive me, it's Bowl Season) - "Not so fast my friend!"

True, the Savannah-based noodlers have two albums and a slew of Peter Gabriel covers to cull from during their headlining sets, but it's the supporting acts that promise to make the three nights, well, less perpetually P-Groove.

Massachusetts-born SeepeoleS bring what more eloquent music journalists than yours truly have called a, "kaleidoscopic melding of rock, pop, and trance, injected with dub infusions" to the second evening of the extended stay.

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Will Bradford is responsible for the amalgamation of swirling sounds and poignant socio-political commentary that defines SeepeopleS' music, most recently captured on 2004's "The Corn Syrup Conspiracy" (RascalZ RecordZ). The album, a whisker from 71 minutes of music, could have benefited from a shave.

The musicianship is impossible to ignore, and the band shifts styles seamlessly, but the album does suffer from the occasionally gratuitous, and a little bit nerdy, prog-rock exploration. All is forgiven (and forgotten) when gems like "Dinosaur," "Everything Goes Away," "Send Me a Line" and "Butchers" instantly carve out space next to Perry Farrell's early '90s Porno for Pyros offerings. Like PFP, these songs are sometimes quirky, often beautiful soundscapes that occasionally drift, yet still deliver intent messages.

Will Bradford is quick to point out, "In the end it's not the music that carries the message. It's the people that hear it that create the message for themselves - I'm glad people find meaning in SeepeopleS' music, it does reassure me that we're all in it together and I'm not crazy."

Bradford, drummer Tim Haney and bassist Dan Igenthron have been touring virtually non-stop in support of the record. Friday's performance will be their third appearance in Athens this year.

"I definitely get a very hip vibe from Athens," says Bradford. "People definitely love music here, and of course that's evident from all the great bands that call Athens home."

The bar was raised quite high (and quickly) for the band whose first gig was at CMJ in New York opening for Cracker. When reminiscing, Bradford seems a starving artist who somehow maintains a pragmatic perspective. "After the reality of life in the music industry sets in, if you keep going, you start to realize that you're only really there to play music, and you'd play to nobody if they let you," he says. "Hell, we have a hundred times. As long as someone lets us make some noise, we're pretty much happy."
David Eduardo
http://www.flagpole.com - David Eduardo

"Artists too new to know... for Now"

SeepeopleS has an interesting, albeit kaleidoscopic sound, marrying techno/trance with rock and dub and a sly, prog-rock undertone with an occasional jamband vibe. Bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter Will Bradford explains the strange mix: “For a number of years I was a DJ playing trance music and also playing in a rock band at the same time—basically our sound is a hybrid of that.” He cites a wide array of influences, from the Grateful Dead to Pink Floyd and from Kula Shaker to The Orb. Bradford says that while they’ve played with a lot of jambands, the acceptance with the jamband fans has been tough. “Through Dana Colley (Morphine/Twinemen) we got into a more indie-rock crowd and it’s been more readily accepted.” Rather than endless solos or improvisation, the band concentrates on creating lush, aural tapestries. To date, they have released one album, “For the Good of the Nation,” which features seven varied tracks ranging from the stunning “View From Here,” a juxtaposition of Floydian textures, jazzy grooves and percolating electronics to the 15-minute opus, “Here We Go.” The band is currently working on a follow-up album, tentatively titled “The Corn Syrup Conspiracy,” which Bradford says will be “similar to part of the first album but as a whole more groove and loop oriented. It will be more aggressive... and in your face.”
- Mick Skidmore

"The Corn Syrup Conspiracy"-Review by Mike Schiller

Let's get this straight right off the bat: Nobody will ever be "the new Pink Floyd". Of course, that's not to say bands won't try, or even do a passable job of aping the psychedelic sound that the Floyd made famous. SeepeopleS is one of those bands, and it would seem that all the elements of classic Floyd are present on their latest effort The Corn Syrup Conspiracy. We have long, occasionally excessive guitar soloing, experiments with electronics, and smooth-yet-strained tenor vocals decrying the evils of The Machine. It's exceptionally produced -- better than many major label albums, actually -- and it's packed to the brim at over 70 minutes of music. There are lots of high-profile guest stars, like Tim Reynolds (famous for his work with Dave Matthews) and Dana Colley of Morphine. So what's not to like? For starters, sole SeepeopleS core member Will Bradford could use an editor, as long stretches of slow, noodling ballads make it easy to lose interest, and there's simply not enough engaging material here to maintain a listener's interest. Bradford's use of metaphor is also a bit clunky -- big businessmen are butchers, the workforce consists of dogs, and so on. Lyrical quirks and bloat aside, those looking for a new socially conscious jammy rock album to get high and curse The Man to could certainly do worse than this.

-Mike Schiller - Mike Shiller

Sometimes, it hits you like a fucking brick, this kind of music. Blasting out from a shadow of political fury, spiraling guitar antics, and a collection of music's most talented musicians, SeepeopleS' The Corn Syrup Conspiracy is an open-air, free ride that collects bits and pieces from eras long gone, present day beats, and somehow, gains access to the portals of the way music will sound in the future.

Clocking in at over 6 minutes, opener “Dog Days” slams down with a sickly fat bass beat, Zeppelin influenced guitar beats, rainsticks swerving between left and right channels and enough distortion to put mid 90s-Sonic Youth to shame. Minimal vocals, consisting of the lines 'Eat sleep breathe 'Eat sleep breathe work til you drop' are all that's needed to start this album off wonderfully. Things only go up with “The Way The World Will Fall,” a heavy pounding drum infested space age piece of gold; effects pedals are priceless gems in this stunningly produced sound-off to the 70s, 80s, and 90s. “Butchers” is another politically motivated song, but what makes it inconceivably genius is the slam-jamming insane drumming that joins the song. Guitars swerve their necks into the song, while Bradford inflicts serious vengeance on the corruption of the day. While technically a “jamband,” SeepeopleS has more substance than others, combining eras of sound, political mayhem, and tight songs with structure. “Dog Days II” contains the best bass beat I've heard in months; adding to this is a circus of synth noises, what appears to be trumpets, and the ever-consistent drumming.

Having Tim Reynolds help out doesn't hurt either; Reynolds is in full force here, spraying the guitar all over the “Dog Days II,” canvas and while some could call him a Musical Jackson Pollock, this song is another piece of gold. “Man Will Win” is a late-night jazz club slow mover, taking its deep tones even deeper with some dropping trumpets. “Reprise (Rocker)” hints at early Stereolab with its looped consistency, but recent Radiohead recordings make their way into the song as well. Its almost as if Colin Greenwood is rocking the 4 string here and Kid A was playing in the background when this song was recorded. “No One Sees” ends the album, again with the space-age beats and swirling 70s sounds. Rising and falling, turning left then right, it’s a glorious send off for an album that is sure to make more than one Top 10 this year.

As a collection, The Corn Syrup Conspiracy is stunning. Bradford and Co. prove that as a musical force, they're more than willing to take on genres with ferocity and throw their boats into almost any sound. From reggae to down tempo, to flat out rock and of course, the jamband label, SeepeopleS is ready for it all. Without a doubt, touring will bring even more fans, seeing that as a jamband, there's sure to be extended jams and 20 minute all out instrumental anthems. The year is wide open and SeepeopleS seem destined to own it.

-Darren Susin
Glide Magazine - Darren Susin

I literally can't remember the last time a CD from a band I had never heard of landed on my desk and was this good. I get tons of discs sent to me, some of them are really good, but the few that I end up listening to more than once are almost always from a band I have at least heard of. When The Cornsyrup Conspiracy was dropped on me I was not familiar with SeepeopleS, but this Allston, Massachusetts rock band quickly made an impression.

You see the reason so many of the discs that I open end up in the crap pile is because they have no vision. Most of the bands can play their instruments and seem to be having fun, but a good album that does not make. I need some broad thought, good song writing, interesting arrangements and some sort of emotional quality. Now the SeepeopleS have only been around for a few years, and there are areas that need to develop, but one thing you can't learn and are not likely to develop is the vision. I don't know where it comes from or how certain bands are able to take the vision and turn it into a masterful piece of art, but Will Bradford who leads SeepeopleS has the vision.

It takes maybe half a spin of The Cornsyrup Conspiracy to start feeling the vast ideas and wide open concepts. Not only does the album have the all important vision, it sounds damn good. Again, for a band that I have never even heard of, the production quality is amazing; not over done, but enough to make all the vocals dreamy and full, the instruments clean and the finishing touches exquisite.

The first track, "Dog Days" may be the album's strongest cut. With a slinky, almost Middle Eastern guitar line, heavy but deft drums, and a wonderful tension/release build-up, the song is an ambitious and successful anthem. While "Dog Days" is clearly a rocker, the next song, "The Way the World Will Fall" shows an ability to slow things down and allow the vocals room to breath. "Butchers" builds on a stuttering broken drum beat and is laced with spaced out swirls of sound. The seven-plus minute "Send Me A Line" follows the surreal, Pink Floyd influenced soundscapes and "Root of Loot" is a dubbed out heavily hashed engagement.

Another aspect of the album I love is that it's packed with music. 16 songs and over an hour of sound with special guest Tim Reynolds, Dave Shul (Spearhead), Dana Colley who was Morphine's sax player, and two Parliament players Pete Keys and Ray Davis. And the best part is that it's not just "music," it's music with vision and a message. The Cornsyrup Conspiracy is full of social commentary and worldly observations. The lyrics are thought provoking and the delivery inspiring. There's just enough accessibility to have some pop appeal, but with enough long songs and varying sounds the discerning listener will also keep coming back. To be honest, I'm shocked this was my first exposure to SeepeopleS.

- Aaron Kayce, Editor

Just a guess here: tens of thousands of independently produced CDs are released into the world every year.

NOT a guess: most of them are, well, really bad.

Some are OK, some are hilarious, and some are good.

And some are the kind that become staples in your CD player, and you can't believe such a great album was produced by a band you've rarely heard of. That's what we have in The Corn Syrup Conspiracy, the second effort from Portland, ME outfit Seepeoples.

Primarily the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Will Bradford, Seepeoples turned some heads on the music scene with their debut disc, For The Good Of The Nation. The lengthy, diverse structures of that album's few songs form music that has an inherent exploratory nature. The same is true with The Corn Syrup Conspiracy, but Bradford's ideas have become much more realized and his wealth of songs take center stage instead of stretchy jams.

Full to the digital brim at over 72 minutes, The Corn Syrup Conspiracy has a lot offer for any music fan. While such length may be long-winded to some, it really isn't without justification. There's a strong political theme to the album's wide range of songs, and both keep the disc charging along at a highly enjoyable pace. The urgent lyrics and morphing music keep you on the edge of your seat in anticipation of the sound's next move.

With so much music on one album, there's a lot of different textures and attitudes to be found here, all of them pleasureable, and some hit your brain harder than others.
The muscular electro-rock instrumental "Dog Days" jumpstarts the album with driving rock riffs and pummeling bass. The first lyrics of the album really set the tone for the sometimes sarcastic, negative outlook that Bradford has toward society and government: "Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Eat. Sleep. Work til you drop". The dreamy drama that makes this album so amazing is apparent from the get go.

Grandiose drums and a wriggling rock guitar propel the anthemic "The Way the World Will Fall", and the song's catchy chorus settles between the verses in an oh-so-satisfying manner.
"Dinosaur" is one of the best tracks here, as a bouncy pop intro veils morose lyrics before the song repeatedly dissolves into its atmospheric hook. With robust backing vocals and oceans of acoustic guitar, this song is impossible to resist. This gives way to the frenetic flight of "Butchers", a sped-up, dub-tinged journey into righteous rasta proclamations about the evil powers that be. This is possibly the most upbeat track on the disc, and one of the most outstanding. Bradford's skill with word-wrangling is unmatched here.

Solemn acoustic guitar and piano start the opus "Send Me A Line", which eases into a melancholy wave-tossed groove layered with synthetic swooshes. At this point, it becomes clear that this is not just another album. The effect of the music is clearly felt at this juncture in the journey. Bradford's alternately urgent and soothing voice has an audience with your brain for good. By the time the delicious ending refrain seeps into you psyche, it's like your ears are being fed the sweetest treats on earth.

The spacey twinkle of "Everything Goes Away" brings to mind the desperate tones of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" a la "Goodby Blue Sky", internal struggle and desperation intact. Hypnotizing the listener with sparse instrumentation and breathy vocals, the song moves nicely into an ambient space-pop section that rises and falls as steadily as the chest of a sleeping child.

"Dog Days II" sort of separates the disc into halves. This instrumental rides a steady bass and drum groove and embellishes with an over-the-top synthesizer solo and electronic horns. The ability of the band to create tangible lanscapes using samples is evident here. Gratuitous use of E-Drums gets the next track, "Sleeping Soul" going in a righteously funky direction. Bradford skims the bubbling surface of the sound with spooky harmony vocals. Over and over during the course of this album, the vocals far exceed normal expectations, adding much more than just words.

Cinematic sounds of chainsaws and sirens give way to the woozy horns and loping tempo of "Man Will Win" as Bradford ponders the negative effect of man on mankind. It's a weighty concept, one that turns our own desires and quest for betterness on their proverbial ears. The instrumental "Reprise (Rocker)" utilizes the throbbing modern rock pulse of bands like The Flaming Lips and Radiohead, complete with dreary electronic drones.

You can feel the album's shift towards resolution in the wonderous swirls of "Sufferers". It almost makes sense to compare the music and lyrics on this album to the modes of Steely Dan; pleasing music often veils decidedly dark subject matter. Never too indulgent, the majority of the songs here are contained and not watered down by zealous improvisation or wankery, giving them singular identities.

Rubbery bass and a minimalist keyboard stab give life to the faux-rap vocals of "Root Of Loot", which is punctuated by a crispy guitar part and insistent cymbals. More and more colors are added to this tune until the end borders on outer-space dub. "Dead Soul Freak" is a bona-fide radio rock masterpiece, oozing with distortion and angst that eventually drops into a echo-laden dub section. Winding the album down further is the short, nearly-a-capella ditty "Nothing Left To Pawn", which comes off as a sort of demented nursery rhyme.

The climactic flourish of "No One Sees" skips right out of the previous track, and as the longest track on the disc it sees a lot of different territory. A mellow, dancey rhythm serves as the platter for one last helping of amazing lyrics and carefully crafted vocals.

Words fail when trying to convey the manner in which this album cements itself in your mind. It's edgy and structural enough to appeal to the modern rock world, but full of enough vigor and texture to enamor fans of "jam" music as well. While a combination of indie-style rock, political themes, Flaming-Lips-like storytelling, ambient soundscapes, chill-out beats, and dub might sound like a lot to swallow, Seepeoples finds the right proportions of each ingredient and seasons them with the intangible seasoning of plain old "damn good" music.

- Bryan Rogers

The first track on SeepeopleS second studio album, The Corn Syrup Conspiracy, is a driving, rocking groove - populated by screaming distorted guitars and middle-eastern melodies. The song, "Dog Days", is mostly instrumental with Parliament's Ray Davis providing the intro. It's the perfect way to open an album. It's the kind of song that, on first listen, makes you look forward to the next song and the rest of the album with a feeling not unlike greed.

SeepeopleS is the brainchild of Will Bradford, a multi-instrumentalist and the band's primary songwriter. The band's music is multi-faceted, sounds range from aggressive rock to Pink Floyd dreams to electronic-infused pop. The album works like a kind of grand experiment. What happens when you take all these sounds and put them all together?

There are a number of atmospheric songs on the album, the best being "Send Me A Line". This song sounds like Pink Floyd mixed with a little Elliot Smith and a bit of Air or Zero 7. The vocals are soothing and it's easy to stop paying attention to the words since the vocal melody is just as dream-like as the music. But if you pay attention to the words - it's rather political. "We don't have a say in decisions that keep this world in division \ So we no longer listen to these fast-talking politricktians \ We won't be controlled by empty contradictions \ Murdering convictions!" The mix of the lyrics and the song are very subversive. And best of all, this nearly eight-minute song feels as short as anything you'd hear on the radio.

Bradford is a gifted lyricist. His lyrics are simple enough that the listener can understand what he's communicating without consulting their encyclopedia, but the concepts are worthy of deeper inspection. And that's the real bummer of the album, believe it or not. The thing is that Bradford's voice sounds the best in the slower, more contemplative songs. On the more upbeat pop tunes like the funky groove "Sleeping Soul" or the electronic "Butchers", Bradford's layered vocals feel lost in the mess. And then the message is lost - which is a shame since the lyrics are pretty decent.

But not all the upbeat songs are worthy of the skip-button. "The Way The World Will Fall" has a Lake Trout-like feel for the verses and a dense, but catchy chorus. The drums have a tribal quality to them and their pounding almost takes center stage. Floating above it all is Bradford's voice, riding the sonic waves, perfectly blending. It's an excellent song.

So it's a mixed bag, both qualitative and sonically. The good songs are really great and the rest aren't bad, but they don't measure up to the album's best material. The upside is that even the lesser songs sound really great, thanks to excellent production. It really sounds fantastic. As much in the best songs as the others, there's so much to discover in the dense layers of sound that Bradford has put together. The final result is a worthy listen.

- Brooks Williams

- Brooks Williams

"The Corn Syrup Conspiracy"-Review by Erica Leduc

This starts off sounding like a hip-hop release then progresses to a sort of jazzy electronic rock. Members of Spearhead and Parliament lend a hand in bringing this opus to life, and for a 72 minute disc it seems to go by in only a fraction of that time. While Seepeoples is an anarchist political band, their message is more of hope than of destruction. Also, as a political band, their lyrics are a central part of their music, but their music is strong enough that the lyrics are not your main focus. Their sound, as well, is more Radiohead than Sex Pistols. They also bring to mind Portishead as much as they do the Clash, which is an example of the wide range of styles interspersed throughout, popping up where you least expect it. This album has elements to it that everyone could enjoy, while not detracting from the disc as a whole.

-Erica Leduc - Erica Leduc

Step aside Deathcab, Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse and the rest of the indie rock royalty, because we've got something very special. The Seepeoples endearing, sincere, charming and cute Apocalypse Cow has burst onto MusicNation. Sure, these guys may not look the part with their cardboard cut-out instruments, their poorly coordinated hats and suits and general lack of cool. The chorus explodes like pop rocks in your mouth and if you're not at least smiling when they smash the guitars, there is clearly something wrong with you. Maybe we could set up our first Music-Nation-to-Music-Nation tour featuring indie poppers Shhh and our new best friends, Seepeoples. Seriously, unique without being confrontational, Seepeoples are a band to watch.

-Luke - Music Nation Review