Search - Seabound :: Poisonous Friend

Remixes or exclusive tracks; choose your poison.

Jack Wells | West Haven, UT | 01/06/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The second single lifted from "Beyond Flatline" comes packaged in a 9 track EP, featuring remixes by many well known electro acts, as well as two exclusive tracks, all for a bargain price. Sounds exciting doesn't it? Unfortunately, aside from a few of the tracks, the EP as a whole is somewhat of a letdown. The majority of the remixes of the title track don't add much innovation, and end up feeling like near clones of the original. But if you are a fan of Seabound, then those few standout tracks just might be worth the price.



Poisonous Friend (Remix) - Begins with just a modified take on the original's vocal and synthesizer intro. Follows the same basic song structure, but brings the sequencing to the forefront, lending the track a more club-friendly feel. Cross-fades swell along the verse, and the intro to the chorus retains the original's minimalistic approach, before kicking into the chorus proper. The remix is shorter than the original, and with this song I can see why Seabound is constantly compared to Covenant. By far the best remix of Poisonous Friend on this EP.



Poisonous Friend (Iris Remix) - Opening with more ambience than the first remix, this track has the same BPM, but feels slower and more relaxed. Not a chill-out remix, but definitely more downtempo. It is more percussion driven, with the sequencers taking a backseat to the drums and vocals. All in all, a pretty basic remix. I'm not a follower of Iris, so I don't know how this remix compares to their own body of work.



Contact (Fluke Remix By Cut.Rate.Box) - Take the original, put it in a blender, turn it on high for a few minutes, and then pull out the vocals. Add a Haujobb sounding treatment, let the sampled sounds serve as percussion, and you have the intro to this remix. Completely different than the original, it starts out with only the Haujobb-esque noises. Halfway through, however it kicks right into a very cookie cutter (pun intended) Cut.Rate.Box remix. Rolling synthesizers, cross-fading hi-hats, and distorted vocals make up the second half. Not a bad remix by any means.



Watching Over You (Haujobb Remix) - Did someone mention Haujobb? Sure enough, the musical modification master is here, and takes an already great song and makes it better. A driving drum beat puts the song in gear, accompanied soon after by building melodic synthesizers. Sequencers tease your ears in the background, and the vocals start up, smooth as silk. A sweet sample serves as the hi-hat, and the barebones approach of this remix serves the song and subject matter very well. Orchestral synths carry the chorus. Some may find this 7+ minute remix a bit repetitious, but I doubt I'll ever get tired of it.



Without You - One of the two tracks on this EP that didn't make the album. Which is a shame, as this song is easily as good as most of the tracks on "Beyond Flatline". Begins with an almost 80's synthpop line, before settling into a simple but effective analog sequence. The soft synth keys add to the chorus, and Frank's unmodified vocals sound out clear and calm. Calms down a bit over the middle chorus, but only for a short while and then it's back to the standard 128 BPM beat. Soft synths form the outro, along with the "without you" verse sung softly.



Transformer (Stromkern Remix) - Surprisingly light fare from Stromkern, or at least for the intro. Very kick-drum and snare driven verse on this remix. This song is quite similar to their own work, and I enjoy their songs, but unfortunately their style just doesn't fit this type of song. Whispered "get up" vocals make a small appearance, and the vocals are mildly distorted. Harsher than the original, and the chorus isn't as effective here as it is more subdued, overlapped by the synths.



Traitor - The second of the two tracks exclusive to this EP. Harsher than most of the songs on "Beyond Flatline", with somewhat weak lyrics. Unfortunately, Frank Spinath's vocal delivery is kind of weak here as well. And the distorted "I hate you!" screams just don't fit the style of this band at all. I can see why this track was left off of the album. Standard four-on-the-floor beat, percussion driven sequencing and synths, and distorted whispered chanting at the end round out this track.



Poisonous Friend (Club Remix) - Extremely similar to the first remix on this EP, except just a little longer. Same beat, same sequencing, same cross-fades. The only real difference is that several snatches of the chorus appear in between the verses, which throws off the vibe of the song. Some minor differences can be found, softer vocals, missing synth lines, etc. Honestly, the first remix on this EP would be better for a club, but that's just my opinion.



Poisonous Friend (Severed Heads Remix) - Much like the Iris remix, this one forgoes the building chorus playing during the intro, which is a nice switch. A simple kick drum and sequence supports the opening verse, with an ambient synth chord floating in the background. The patter of the hi-hat crosses from channel to channel, and a different sequence forms the middle of the track. Another downtempo feeling song, due to the lack of powerful percussion and sequencing.



Overall, the "Poisonous Friend" EP isn't anything to get excited about, as most of the remixes don't add much depth to the original material. The only real reason to pick this up is due to the phenomenal Haujobb remix of Watching Over You, and the exclusive track Without You. The Cut.Rate.Box remix of Contact is the only other remix that doesn't fall into a feeling of "been there, done that". Recommended only for serious fans or collectors."

Great single!

M. Randall | Allen Park, MI | 05/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this is a great ep and i will give play by play on each track01. Poisonous Friend (remix) 10/10
((best of the 4 remixes of it))
02. Poisonous Friend (iris remix) 8/10
03. Contact (fluke remix) 8/10
((starts slow.. but once it gets going its great))
04. Watching Over You (haujobb remix) 10/10
05. Without You 9/10
06. Transformer (stromkern remix) 10/10
07. Traitor 7/10
((kinda dull compared to the first b-side))
08. Poisonous Friend (club remix) 7/10
09. Poisonous Friend (severed heads remix) 7/10all in all this is a must have if you liked Beyond Flatline. While the Poisonous Friend remixes get worse as the cd goes on.. the other remixes of songs and the bsides are great! seabound kicks"