OK, help me out here. The vocals on this album sound really like someone else who I can't quite put my finger on. Perhaps it's a mixture of other artists, either way they're a fundamental part of Low Sea's sound and are hugely important in making this such a good album. Vocals that are a little out of the ordinary can go two ways: bloody annoying and overly "quirky", or interesting, unique and a little bit magical. It's the latter all the way on 'Remote Viewing', the new album from this Irish duo. As mentioned when we reviewed the single of the same name, these guys describe their sound as "grey disco". We haven't quite figured that one out yet; it implies a certain darkness, yet this album is full of light, with just the odd murky corner to investigate.
They do use electronics in their music and it is mostly upbeat, but it's more suited to the indie disco than anything else, and to be perfectly honest we'd describe them as an alt-rock band with an innovative pop leaning (admittedly that's more long-winded that "grey disco", but it makes more sense). The production on this album is really interesting and difficult to find a comparison for, and this is another aspect that makes Low Sea appealing; the third part of the equation is the tunes. 'Remote Viewing' sounds good upon first listen, but once you've got to about play number 6 or so, it begins to transform from good/interesting to very impressive. They are another band who can be reasonably well summed up with one song; in this instance almost any song on the album, so we'll go for 'Afflictions Of Love'. It blends that captivating voice with an electro beat, more conventional instruments, a great melody and plenty of depth.
All they need is for the rest to follow suit, and it does, without simply making clones of the opener. You can tell the rest is the same band for sure, they have their own sound, but they're not one-dimensional. 'Second track 'Sentimental Games' proves that, adding a much dreamier aspect to their sound. It almost makes out that things become dull and repetitive if we say that from here on in it's business as usual, but when your usual business is this good it's anything but. No-one would say business as usual for Lionel Messi was a bad thing. There is mild deviation in the more pensive 'When I'm Feeling Down' and the epic 'Acid Ocean'. Potential single material can be found in 'Starlight', the sharp and edgy 'Cast A Cold Eye' and 'Last Rain'. Really the main factors here are quality and consistency. Something Low Sea have by the sackful.
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