Seeland were formed by Tim Felton (ex-Pram) and Billy Bainbridge (ex-Plone) which might tend to suggest that they are about slightly difficult, left field electronic music, but that is not the case at all. Make no mistake about it –- this is a pop record! Admittedly this is a long forgotten or perhaps almost mythical pop world where X Factor and Pop Idol have never existed, and music gets played on the radio because of merit and not because someone like Simon Cowell has a crush on the singer, but it's pop music nonetheless. Rather annoyingly, I've still not worked out who the vocals remind me of, but if you imagine some soft-ish tones mid-way between Black's Colin Verncombe and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, you probably won't be a million miles off the mark.
I first heard Seeland via the rather good Library single (and the even better extra track Call The Incredible –- both included here) last year. Thankfully, it transpires that this was no false dawn, as Tomorrow Today is chock full of tracks of a similar quality. Rather interestingly, Library sounds considerably less poppy when compared to some of the other moments here. One of the best numbers is the opening Burning Pages -- strong in the melody stakes with interesting arrangements and a driving beat, which sets us up nicely for what is in store.
Hang On Lucifer follows and is a jaunty little number, with some early 80s-like guitars, whilst Colour Dream is a deliciously melodic slowie with a pretty guitar line that pops up occasionally. Turnaround is a slightly off kilter take on an 80s song, with a riff that brings to mind various Liverpool acts of that period and a chorus that you could almost imagine Belinda Carlisle getting her mitts on, whilst Captured has a definite Stereolab feel with an almost Driving Away From Home beat. Goodbye opens like it's going to be a take on the Velvet's Sunday Morning, but goes off in a different, almost Dalek I-like direction before things briefly get a bit Stereolab again.
Static Object is probably my least favourite number here, but although it has one of the least memorable melodies, the searing guitars and almost motorik beat make up for it. Station Sky gets us back on track with a pretty music box-like intro whilst 5 A.M. has dark brooding synths of the early Human League variety and a slightly unsettling melody that almost cries out for Scott Walker to get his mighty larynx onto.
Pretty Bird ends the album with some big shimmering chords and a melody that brings to mind Dalek I's A Suicide from the mighty Compass/Kum'pas LP. You can almost hear echoes of Alan Gill telling us that "this is the end, this the end"….
And then it's gone.
Fabulous stuff.
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