Seeland

Seeland is a UK electronic pop group formed in the winter of 2004/05 by Tim Felton and Mike “Billy” Bainbridge. Felton has previously played in Broadcast and Bainbridge in Plone. The band comes out of Birmingham’s retro-futurist electronic scene, which draws on space age pop, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Joe Meek and 1960s library music.

Background and sound

The group works in synthpop, electronic, indietronica and krautrock-influenced styles. Their music combines short pop song structures with abstract electronics and references to artists and scenes such as the Travelogue-era Human League, Can, Scott Walker, Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd, White Noise and The United States of America. The result is described in terms of a sound that feels familiar while remaining distinctive and contemporary.

Releases

Before their album Tomorrow Today, Seeland release two singles on Stereolab’s Duophonic imprint. Tomorrow Today is their carefully assembled psychedelic album and sits at the centre of their catalogue in the available information.

Style and influences

The band’s approach parallels the idea of making something new while still drawing heavily on older pop and experimental forms. Their work blends melody with layered electronics, and their songs are presented as suitable for repeated listening because of the way phrases and motifs recur and drift through the arrangements.