SEASPIN -- [seespin] -
Noun - 1. The feeling of being lovesick.
I am head over heels in a dizzying, but alluring state of seaspin.
Synonyms: passion, rapture, infatuation
Antonyms: detestation, abhorrence, repugnance
2. A dreamy, hypnotic Los Angeles based band who coined the term "seaspin".
Seaspin are releasing "Reverser", their debut EP.
Formed in Los Angeles in 2007, Seaspin was conceived of 3 years ago, while Seaspin guitarist/vocalist Ronnie Washburn and Seaspin vocalist/guitarist Jennifer Goodridge played together in the CMJ chart topping band Your Enemies' Friends. Having shared stages with Blonde Redhead, TV on the Radio, Mars Volta, and Spiritualized among others, Washburn and Goodridge yearned to do something new, something lush, dynamic and layered -- something Seaspin.
"We were inspired to create music that we wanted to listen to," says Washburn whose influences range from The Stone Roses to Sonic Youth. "There was a void in what we wanted to hear." Writing songs both by himself and with Goodridge, Washburn, inspired by Goodridge's commanding voice, was content to switch duties to backing vocalist, having been the lead singer in Your Enemies' Friends. Seaspin features Goodridge's potent vocals front and center. "Jen has a perfect voice," says Washburn. "She has great range for dreamy, pretty and high vocals and she can also pop into a powerful and emotional strong voice. The songs seem to automatically write around her. Her life experiences and personality combined come through in a way that only she can share. Jen has an amazing ability to make the songs translate in any situation, acoustic or live."
With the addition of bassist Ross O'Carroll, keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Justin Taylor and drummer Isaac Carpenter, the Seaspinning duo became a powerful quintet who are quickly becoming well known, embraced and critically acclaimed on the Los Angeles music scene, having played recently to packed shows at various LA venues including Spaceland and Silverlake Lounge.
Produced by Washburn and Warren Huart (The Fray, Augustana, Hot Hot Heat), Seaspin recorded and mixed their debut EP, the beguiling Reverser, over just 10 days. "We wanted the EP to represent the way we sounded live, so the basic tracks we recorded live in 2 days," says Washburn. Dreamy and rhythmic, textured and open, sweet and jarring, Seaspin's emphasis upon strongly rooted songwriting consistently shines through even the most celestial of Reverser's musical moments. "The songs were the most important thing," says Washburn. "We would let the songs dictate the sounds. It was less that we were going for a sound and more that we became a sound. And, we are still becoming one."
"Love is a Fable", Reverser's opening track, swathed in Goodridge's tender, crooning vocals ("If you feel able/Let me wrap you up and give you back to you") wafting amidst buzzing guitars, billowy keyboard waves and manic drums, sets the dynamic, textured and ethereal Seaspin tone. The quixotic, melodic and lulling, aptly titled "Dream Life", is sensual and enchanting reverie, floating in clouds while staring longingly at the stars. "I made you every promise that I thought you would need/I was the change you wanted/Your trust was never complete" laments Goodridge on the hypnotically swirling "Give Yourself", a transcendent tribute to brokenhearted anguish. Title track, "Reverser", opens with a deceptively haunting sparseness, before falling into a captivating, seductive and catchy groove. Final track, the romantic and sweeping "The Way You Move", blends Washburn's and Goodridge's vocals seamlessly with soaring, churning guitars and driving, frenetic drums, ending with a sonic dissonance that will leave you happily exhausted.
With the release of Reverser and their upcoming live shows, Seaspin are excited to keep moving forward. "Playing live is what we love," says Goodridge. "To me, it's the purest way to communicate an emotion."
-Pamela Chelin
"Seaspin...a vaguely turbulent strain of dreampop..."
-- Kevin Bronson, Buzzbands.la
"Seaspin has now dropped a couple of tracks online and their sound definitely harks back to the late 80s/early 90s when bands like Yo La Tengo, Slowdive and the highly influential My Bloody Valentine paved the way for the genre of music know as shoegaze."
-- A Week At The Most
"Seductive beauty that crawls out of every note; combined with their embrace of dream-pop and shoegaze makes for heavenly listening."
-- Marcel Feldmar & Marilyn Roxie, A Future In Noise
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