Need to Move

Seeker

And now, a class act. The new Seeker album I’d like to Teach the World to Sing – no, sorry – Need to Move is a triumph of jangly guitar and velvet tonsils, which give honour to God with an indie feel and a passionate heart for contemporary culture. It’s brand new, but I have a feeling it’ll be oft-found in my CD player, since both the songwriting quality and the production values are high.

The paper-clip motif is a strong feature on the disc and the paperwork, and the pics of the two leading characters are pleasant enough. There’s an appropriate apology for the tardiness of the release date, as well.

Track by Track
Need to Move kicks off with a ska-influenced tour de force entitled What I Need, putting the Jarvis vocal/guitar combination firmly to the fore. The drumming is controlled and complimentary, which suggests that Seeker is now working as one unit, and the bass riffs are solid and thought-provoking.

Feel your Love has a complex but memorable tune, which showcases Jenny’s fine tubes. The accompaniment is suitably simple, and the whole piece gets wonderfully sparce towards the 2 minute 30 mark. Welcome repeats of the verse and chorus bring the track to a healthy, enjoyable conclusion.

Lenny gets my vote for an opening track, but then what do I know? It sets up a great (sub-Hendrix) groove and then delivers passionate testimony. The chorus is marbled with gratitude; the vocals remind me of Sam Brown’s fabulous Stop! Adam’s guitar solo is filthy and exciting, and guesting on bass is Lemmy, it would seem, which perhaps goes some way towards explaining the title. ‘I have received your love, and changed’ is a great statement of Bible truth.

Strong evidence of shakers at the start of Giver of Life. This is another testimony with lovely vocal harmonies enhancing the tune, which passes the OGTW superbly.

Worshipful lyrics sit uncomfortably with indie aggression in Holy Place, but after a couple of listens, it works! It’s all too easy to imagine this song with much poorer backing, as the tune lilts and swings, but these chaps have given worship real guts.

More Now settles down after a verse of fretboard-wandering into a standard tune with a high quality, memorable hook.

Grand piano? Where did that come from? But Come to Me develops into a big song, with a fine solo taking centre stage almost as soon as the tune is established. Can’t help noticing the influence of Louise Fellingham on the vocal style, which is certainly a compliment. Later on the voice is exposed with just the piano and the reverb unit, and Jenny is up to the examination, big time. A great performance, despite the somewhat ordinary lyrical content.

The Rock has a good arpeggio hook and probably the most thoughtful lyrics of all the songs on the album. I like the doubletracked vocal, which emphasises the worthwhile poetry; good bass playing and some Floyd-like noises help make this my fave track. It’s disappointing when they stop, just shy of 5mins.

The lyrics have taken off since the Come to Me low point! Follow You is another showcase for Jenny’s diction and expression; not a massively strong tune, but a good groove with ‘I find peace and grace in your loving embrace’, a sound statement of thankfulness. Again this song finishes earlier than I would have liked. This means I was enjoying it.

In the Room is a song of repentance which is powerfully moving. ‘You saw everything I thought was not observed.’ But it’s positive and ultimately good news, not just a lament of regret. Jenny has lots of ability to put the song across, which she does in spades.

Last paragraph
So, in the final analysis: a good first track, a quality throat clearance and fresh start in track three, a tiny bit of a dip towards the middle and then a great finish, throwing down the gauntlet: play me again, I dare you!

NB The line-up has changed a bit reently, with the introduction of a very much prettier drummer, (far left) which is, to my untrained eye, at least, a vast improvement.