More than a decade after its release, "Seamonsters" still finds its way into my CD player at least once a month. The Wedding Present are well-known in their native Britain for publishing 12 successive top-ten singles in one year (rivaling only Elvis Presley by achieving the feat), and the releases from that year are perhaps more representative of the "true" Wedding Present sound. However, the Steve Albini-produced "Seamonsters" packages David Gedge's ex-girlfriend-drunk-dial lyrics, painfully honest growl and moan, and beached-whale guitar sounds into a pop landscape that undulates, aches and ultimately leaves you wishing you could fold the lead singer in a comforting embrace - though you sense he might just push you away. Even if this CD does not become a portal to your Wedding Present addiction, as it did for me, it will remain a top-of-the-stack favorite for driving, getting over bad dates, and high volume reality escapes.

Seamonsters took a while for me to appreciate, mainly due to Steve Albini's production style. Production is probably the wrong word as it seems like he puts a couple microphones in the back of the recording studio and that's it. David Gedge's lyrics are a bit drowned-out in the mix. Having a lyric sheet would have aided things greatly.

But once you get past that, Seamonsters is the greatest loud-soft-loud (a style which Nirvana made very popular that same year -- hell, same month -- with Nevermind) album ever. "Dalliance" builds with Gedge's anger to a fury of noise that's just incredible. The whole album's great. Albini's approach to recording the band (which had previously suffered from serious '80s-itis over-reverbing), brings out the bands strengths -- not just Peter Salowka's blurry strumming but the intensity of Simon Smith's drumming. Albini may make any band seem noisier than usual, but he gets the drums right (see PJ Harvey's Dry or Nirvana's In Uetero). Every song is fantastic. A must-own.

The first time I listened to this CD I knew it would become one of my favorites. The opening riff of Dalliance is merely an overture to the experience in which you are about to partake.

What makes this CD unique is, regardless of your state-of-mind, it wills you into that of the the artists' intended listener. From that point forward, you are guided by TheWeddingPresent through the rest of this work.

This CD is unmistakenly beautiful. I used to hear influences of Joy Division & The Buzzcocks. The time signatures reflected the early Pixies (but I doubt any influence). Now Seamonsters has taken on a life of its' own.

It's been 12 years since I originally purchased this CD. It still yields a different emotional interpretation everytime I listen to it.

Knowing that I am a huge fan of material produced by studio wiz Steve Albini, a friend of mine recently turned me on to this release from The Wedding Present. All I can say is that this album is mindbogglingly great! I believe another review mentioned the fact that "Seamonsters" was released the same year that Nirvana's "Nevermind" came out. Well, it is quite possible that the guys from Nirvana loved the sound so much that they quickly enlisted producer Steve Albini to help them out on their very next release, "In Utero." This CD is full of loud-soft dynamics and tormented vocals struggling to claw their way out from under layers of guitars. "Dalliance" is a perfect example of this technique, and it is also present in PJ Harvey's Albini-produced gem "Rid of Me." Anyway, if you are a fan of "In Utero" you should do yourself a favor and check out "Seamonsters." It is also worth mentioning that the lyrics are quite romantic in a jaded sort of way that reminded me of Roxy Music. Also, at times David Gedge's vocals sound a little bit like Morrissey, but believe me, the Smiths never sounded this good. Every song on here is a classic, but don't expect to "get" it on the first listen. Subsequent listens only make this one better and better to the discerning ear. Enjoy!

In the early 90's at one of the many low points of my life I discovered the Wedding Present. The music was vast, rambled on and was delivered with a bone crushing intensity. It seemed perfect. I related to everything about it except the lyrics ( well maybe a little). David Gedge seemed like a magnent for bad relationships, flirting and acting kinda dirty or sleazy. All of which I WASN'T BUT ADMIRED. Seamonsters marked a different direction for the band. Their fast and frenetic playing was augmented by the production duties of Steve Albini. Giving all the songs a puchy live in your living room feel that Albini does on all his productions. One of my favorite albums of the 90's. The only thing that is close to filler are the added b-sides. Even those are good.