Are You Driving Me Crazy? in Bloomington, MN

Seam
had never had the most stable lineup, but
Sooyoung Park
and
Lexi Mitchell
had maintained a partnership, personal and otherwise, from the
Bitch Magnet
days. That all changed after the excellent
The Problem With Me
, and the end result was the band's most fraught album yet, with
Park
working with a wholly new band and conveying more than a few desperate and frustrated sentiments in the music and lyrics. Starting the album with
"Berlitz,"
using the reference to language guides as a metaphor for failures to communicate and their repercussions, was as much as a sign as any. That said,
's general goal at balancing sudden intensity with restraint and quiet beauty remained intact, and at times, such as
"Haole Redux,"
succeeded spectacularly. The new members -- guitarist
Reg Shrader
, bassist
William Shin
, and drummer
Chris Manfrin
-- all do a pretty fine job at replacing their counterparts from
, something further helped by the reappearance of
Brad Wood
as producer. Still, there is a change and maybe even a lack --
Shin
in particular, though still spot on, misses the gentle melodicism that
Mitchell
had provided, and as a result the dramatic melancholia of the past feels a bit more abrupt at points. For the first time as well,
creates notably long songs, four out of ten running over five minutes and resulting in the longest
album yet. It's a comparative lack of economy more than anything else -- this isn't
Rick Wakeman
-era
Yes
, thank heavens -- but moments like the extended soloing on
"Port of Charleston"
make the album just not quite as special as the preceding ones, a drawing out when the group could formerly pack beautifully compact punches. Credit should be given to guest performer
Julie Liu
, though, whose various vocal and musical contributions are fine, understated touches. ~ Ned Raggett