Seam
Are You Driving Me Crazy?

Are you driving me crazy?

I don't know if I feel adequate to write the review of this album that warms my bleeding artist and listener's heart more and more each time. I almost hoped that someone else, more suited than me, had already thought to talk about this, in my opinion, forgotten masterpiece. I Seam, I believe, shouldn't need an introduction, but since on debaser not everyone lived through the '90s, I'll give a brief and concise presentation: They were founded in 1990 by Park (Bitch Magnet), Mccaugahn (Superchunk), and Mitchell. Initially, they were part of the Homestead Records roster and after a couple of years they moved to Touch And Go Records, they can easily be placed in the slowcore line of Codeine and Galaxie 500; this is the 3rd and penultimate album of 1995.

"Are You Driving Me Crazy?" is a journey through disappointments, the emotions that revolve in the head shattering positive thoughts, it's a warm room still empty of memories but already so full of words, it's a succession of seasons that although warm or cold, remain perpetually autumnal. This room fills with people, corners known by a few intimates, and conversations that float like cigarette smoke. Nihilism here is no longer rage and frustration but becomes boredom and resignation; not total as it can be in Frigid Stars by Codeine, but it leaves room for "crisis" that do not trace physical paths. Human nature is not regular, but neither is it alienated and cold, thus typical structures of contemporary pop music try to clash with post-rock and math rock, succeeding in the endeavor of being total music and, in my view, Perfect Pop (For me, Perfect Pop is that Pop which has a lot of the Alternative influence of the late '80s and early '90s but manages, through melody, to capture even the average listener). The guitars are sweet and scratchy when needed but not powerful, leaving a heartfelt desolation and feeling of lostness with each finished piece. Few pieces are suited for Sing-A-Long, but that's certainly not a defect since the work done by Seam functions more internally, digging a chasm inside each of us, never to be filled again. It leaves no escape points from this sentimental vortex and allows us to timidly and gently sink into the cerulean and suffocating days of everyday life.