The Sea At Midnight - The Sea At Midnight (Remastered)

A remastered album needs to be more than a fresh coat of paint. Sure, all the songs should sound the same as I once remembered them, but when I go back to the original I should find the original sound revolting and undercooked. Okay, maybe not to that degree, but the point is made; I shouldn't feel the need to listen to the original version anymore. The remaster should take care of some, if not all, of the shoddiness that once came with the release. Some bands try to rework their tracks, add in a new fresh beat, do a different mix, so on and so forth. To me, that's not really remastering their tracks; those are in house, alternate mixes. There are many bands who have practically ruined once beloved tracks by committing to remasters and the like. This is why whenever I receive a remastered album I get somewhat nervous. 



This was the case with The Sea At Midnight's remastered version of their self-titled debut album. Preceded by a staggering six singles and later released in a limited edition cassette format, the self-titled is a pretty damned good album. Though I never got around to reviewing the self-titled, I was fond of it. However, less than a half-year after the self-titled released, The Sea At Midnight re-released it in a remastered, digital format. The nervousness I discussed above hit my gut and all I could think at the time was, Why? What's the point? 

To answer that question, I listened to the remastered version multiple times. Now that I write about it and have the proper notes prepared, I can easily say that it is worth the mere seven bucks it costs to get the digital files again. The Sea At Midnight has shown that he understands what a remaster should be; none of the tracks are remixed or toyed with that they come off as unfamiliar. This is still the original 2020 album. But now the notes are cleaner, sounds pop better, and there's an understanding that Vince Grant looked to his debut, saw room for improvement, and made those adjustments. What I'm left with is a product featuring eight stand-out songs. 

I could end the review there, but since I never had the chance to review the album to begin with, I suppose now is the time to point out my favorite tracks on the album. I would like to start with the sixth track, 'Afterglow'. While most of the tracks on the self-titled have a floaty atmosphere, 'Afterglow' has a bit more of an oomph. There's prevalent drums throughout the track that give it a sturdy, danceable beat, and the synth work found within is grand. I also appreciate 'Edge Of The World'. The way it is written, with bright guitars and synths, makes me feel as if life should be lived to the fullest - as the title says, as if I'm at the edge of the world. And I love a song that makes me feel this kind of connection. Well done on both accounts! 

What I would like to see not so much changed, but perhaps expanded upon are Grant's vocals in the future. He does not have a bad set of chords at all; in fact, at the best of times he comes off as quite handsome. However, while the beats within each of his tracks are varied from one to the other, his chords remain monotonous throughout. I find myself expecting his lightly sung lyrics with a bit of echo behind them, and that's what I get. It's a constant with little experimentation. While the music keeps me engaged throughout, I always wish that Grant would have done a bit more with his voice. But, now that he has his musical legs, perhaps I'll get to hear further vocal ranges either through practice or through collaborations with other artists in the future.

At the end of the day, then, Grant set out exactly what he intended to do with this remaster: make his first album sound better without ruining or changing its identity. He also did not commit any remastering sins, such as butchering the original songs to create something different. For that I do owe him my praise. His instrumentation and voice has never sounded better, and there's only room for improvement. Sure, I do find his voice to be a bit unmoving at times, but there's always a gravitational pull that leads me back to The Sea At Midnight. For all this, I give the remastered version of his debut a seven out of ten. Well done! 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
May 22 2021