Often described as a post-rock supergroup by the music cognoscenti, The Sea And Cake have been a going concern for nearly fifteen years now and the result has been eight albums so far. John McEntire is arguably more famous for being the multi-instrumentalist in post-rock giants Tortoise but his contribution on the drums to The Sea And Cake is just as valid. Whilst the former band dispense an artful brand of music, The Sea And Cake slip into intelligent and emotional easy listening melodies. Unsurprisingly, ‘Everybody’ sees the group in typically relaxed mode.
Key to the easy listening atmosphere is Sam Prekop whose wistful vocals can alienate some listeners but on their best work he adds a extra layer of dreaminess to the mellifluous mood. ‘Up On Crutches’ kicks off events with a clever and addictive guitar figure and third track ‘Crossing Line’ even tackles glam rock. That’s as loud as things get though, as after that it’s immediately clear that ‘Everybody’ is a return to the sophisticated elegance of the excellent ‘Oui’ album where “rocking out” is never an option; instead guitars lilt and Prekop fills in spaces with extra “oohs” and “aahs”. Only problem is that ‘Everybody’ is not quite as good as ‘Oui’. The likes of ‘Coconut’ and ‘Introducing’ pass by pleasantly enough but lack the emotion of ‘Oui’s best moments whereas the pointless instrumental ‘Left On’ should really have been left off this record. ‘Lightning’ raises the bar with some pedal steel whilst ‘Transparent’ at least brings the album to a lovely, languid finish. Yet overall this is a disappointing return especially when it’s clear The Sea And Cake are capable of so much better.
Web Sites:
http://www.theseaandcake.com/
http://www.myspace.com/seaandcake
Also Reviewed:
The Sea And Cake - Oui
Tortoise - It’s All Around You
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