Review by Leeds Music Scene

Band: Seismic Loveshift
Tracks: Any Old Price - Some Life - Sam - Looking For Love

Seismic Loveshift are a four-piece band, the brain child of John McLeod, songwriter and guitarist - plus added vocal duties alongside Kay Harrison. The immediate impression from Any Old price, the demo's opening track, was a link to The Beautiful South. Now let's get this sorted now...they don't really SOUND like them. Its just the male-female front to their vocals set over such an impressive melody that makes me think of the 'South. I don't know why. Because whilst The Beautiful South bore me to tears, Seismic Loveshift are a l0t more imaginative ... perhaps this is because I can make my own mind up about this demo, whereas the "people" suggest that The Beautiful South are good, when they're not.

Anyway, on a similar its-makes-me-think-of line, I could also see linking into some of the less dated bands such as Belle and Sebastian (the albums, not the singles). Seismic Loveshift are a very pleasant band to listen to, a summer time band, perhaps also, good or bad, a pub rock band. Very uplifting, its just a shame that some of the most gifted songwriters write and play songs that never make it past the local.

Seismic Loveshift occasionally fleat with "rock", and in Some Life have one of the most "indie" closing minutes, whilst maintaining clean, just slightly distorted guitars, I have ever heard. This flirtation with indie-rock is also evident in their closing track, Looking for Love, but in the main they show a more clean, melody based attitude towards their songs.

Personally I enjoyed this CD, and would hope that they are allowed to show off their talents on a wider stage - however I get the impression that they will attract the "slightly older" Beautiful South crowd. Unfortunately this crowd do not really get a huge say in the who's-who of modern day music interests. If Seismic Loveshift get stuck with the pub scene it'd not be for a lack of talent, that's for sure.

Review by Dave Sugden.