Uncle Seth

Lame Suburban Poetry, Uncle Seth (Independent): An exuberant and accomplished mix of pop, rock, acoustic folk, twisty grooves, tender ballads, and pretty melodies topped off by the rousing vocals of Tara Thompson. A uniquely captivating and deftly produced independent record. And on the cover there’s a dog sitting on two chairs, wearing a black beret, looking mopey in front of a microphone. Classic! (Visit Uncle Seth online at www.musicface.com.) - John Pigeau

REVIEW - Uncle Seth: Forgive and Forget Volume One (IND)

What is the difference between an indie band, struggling to make it and a group that’s got a record deal and a single on FM radio? Two words: production and marketing. The music is secondary, really, in a time where no real generic changes are taking place in pop-rock; all the bands sound pretty much the same. For example, Uncle Seth, an independent group from Toronto, Canada, wear their influences proudly on their sleeve: Blues Traveller comes to mind quite readily when listening to “A little bit more” the first track from “Forgive and Forget: Volume One,” Seth’s latest CD. Jay Moonah is clearly channeling John Popper. Meanwhile, Tara Thompson’s lead vocals have the rough edge of Alanis Morrisette, the sultry blues of a Holly Cole, and, oddly, at times, the rambling hop of Barenaked Ladies’ Steven Page and Ed Robertson. Really.

These comparisons are dubious, however. What sets the band apart? The second song, the very sweet “My Eyes,” is tight, smooth, soft, genuine. Thompson sounds more like herself than a cookie-cutter “grrrl” rocker. The same can be said of “Whatever Happened,” in which the lead vocalist picks up the trumpet for some nice instrumentals. The lyrics, if you care to pay attention, are clever: “you can put your foot in the gift horse’s mouth” is my favourite.

Musically, there’s all sorts of great stuff going on. Moonah is responsible for some interesting arrangements—stuff that’ll make you go “cool!” if you’re a musician, and if you’re not, you’ll just groove right along without noticing the fancy tricks. Craig Hegins’ drums are also steady, but interesting. On the more up-tempo numbers, the rhythm is aggressive, but sometimes a little too much so. On “Civic” Thompson struggles to keep up with the packed lyrics—she doesn’t quite have the chops to rap like Page and Robertson—but she doesn’t need to: the unintended syncopation on the live tracks is largely due to the lack of production—certainly with the benefit of studio time, the vocal track and rhythm section will line up nicely.

“Forgive and Forget” is an album, short though it may be, that grows with every listen. The difference between Uncle Seth and Dave Matthews? Dave Matthews gets his songs spun on the radio over and over again so that listeners are so familiar with it, they can’t help but like it (it’s almost self-defense, in Dave Matthews’ case). You’ll have to do some work to find Uncle Seth, but when you do, treat them like you would treat the latest U2 album: play it over and over and over again. Chances are, you’ll like it.
- John Lofranco

I've been blasting both Lame Suburban Poetry (2002) and Forgive and Forget Vol. 1 (2005) in my car for several weeks. It's tough to pick a favorite as the band's lineup change between the two recordings brought a slight change in sound. What's constant between the two are the very melodic and tight arrangements, harmonica lines that bolster the melody when not creating it, and the strong vocals of Tara Thompson. Their music reminds me of when I first started listening to Joe Jackson, right when he started to move away from his early New Wave-ish era. Unlike much commercial music being produced today, there's still some "air" in it. Whether it be a ballad or a straight ahead rocker, you're not overwhelmed with the full-on compression that ruins many a modern recording. This allows the various musical elements (vocals, interplay between bass and guitar, percussion) to not be lost in the sonic wash.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/10/06/101151.php - Mark Saleski