Seed - Ling (1994)

Austin's Seed sound is very much rooted in a classic '60s pop song style (most obviously The Beatles), very much similar to bands like Jellyfish and The Posies. They rarely are as successful as those two bands, but they made a fairly strong debut with Ling. "Rapture" kicks things off with a whimsical lyric and power-stomp. There's no shortage of enchanting melodies on this album. "Ladybug" is a gentle song, featuring piano by producer Howard Benson and gorgeous harmonies by Gabriel Ordonez and Chadwick Salls. "Kids--This Is Fabulon," while catchy, is plagued with self-consciously hip and clever lyrics. "Nail" has a bizarre lyric that is matched by the odd, trippy passage near the end. On "Fortune," the band the strings and portentous tone shows a more progressive rock influence that surfaces on several songs. The sometimes jarring differences between Seed's power pop leanings and progressive rock tendencies makes Ling a nit uneven at times. It's still a solid album with more than a few sterling moments.