The Ocean and the Sun

The Sound of Animals Fighting | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epitaph
• ASIN: B001CVCBMQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,628 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Known only by their respective animal names - Nightingale, Walrus, Lynx, and Skunk - and wearing masks for their rare live appearances, TSOAF have released two albums, the early self-released collection Tiger and the Duke (reissued in 2007), and 2006's acclaimed Lover, The Lord Has Left Us. Building on these, their Epitaph debut The Ocean and the Sun offers a more intense mix of genres, as delicate Brazilian-inflected melodies careen into shattering guitar and drum workouts. As the reputation of this fabulous collective spreads, and comparisons to such scene luminaries as Mars Volta grow, rumors have circulated about members and their involvement with other prominent bands. Perhaps someday all will be revealed, until then fans will have to get by on another album's worth of beauty and mayhem. This band might feature members of Circa Survive, Saosin, and RX Bandits.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Album For Any Scenario, December 24, 2008

By 

William J. Mcloone "Wandering Minstrel" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ocean and the Sun (Audio CD)

I've listened to this album several times since its release and it sticks with me. There are songs that stick out more than others, but I won't go into detail on that because of my next point. Upon further analysis, I began to fully understand the genius of the album itself. I've never heard of any of the bands that the members of SOAF are a part of, so I don't have a clear picture of their musical backgrounds, but the styles that they incorporate in this project kind of transcend any one "genre". The genius of it all is this, there's something here for everyone. There's a little electronica, a little prog-rock, definitely a "(insert here)-core" influence, but there's also some latin beats in there, maybe even a little dance/club. I imagine that if you handed this out to 20 different people, they would probably enjoy at least one song on the album. I also see them gravitating towards songs which are more to their liking. Whats more, this is an album that can really be listened to anywhere. It's cerebral enough that you can just sit and enjoy it, but it also has a flow so you could pop it in your car stereo on the daily commute.

Give it more than one listen, but I guarantee there's something for everyone here.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caution: May Increase Amount of Speeding Tickets, July 27, 2009

By 

Ozzy S. (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ocean and the Sun (Audio CD)

I've had this CD for about a year and listened to 1 or 2 songs from time to time but for whatever reason, I decided to listen to the whole thing recently and it has not left the CD player in my truck for 3 weeks. It's truly an amazing piece of work!
What I particularly like about it is that it is "experimental" but not to the point that you feel disappointed as I have been in the past by other bands attempts. For example, while I love The The Mars Volta ( which clearly influences TSOAF ) I have to admit that the long "noisy" parts can get annoying the second time or third time around. TSOAF does not do that with this album which gives it replay value. Check out their Myspace page which currently has 3 tracks.
Personally I think it sounds the best when you're driving, but be careful with the faster songs!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Walrus and Less Nightingale, September 10, 2008

By 

J. Skiba "jpskeebs" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ocean and the Sun (Audio CD)

"The Ocean and The Sun" is an excellent experimental album that still has enough hooks throughout to make it an enjoyable listen. I found it interesting that TSOAF appears to be more of Walrus's (Embree's) project that Nightingale's (Balling's) since Embree produced and recorded it at his studio, which is fine with me since I am a huge RX fan. I actually think it's mixed a lot better than Rx's last release. Songs like "The Heraldic Beak Of The Manufacturer's Medallion" sounds like it's an unreleased track from Rx's "And the Battle Begun..." only with Skunk (Anthony) singing over it. There are some great experimental tracks on here. "Uzbekistan" is a personal favorite. Basically, enjoying RX Bandits and Circa Survive / Anthony Green as much as I do, "The Ocean and The Sun" is a great depature for fans of either. Definitely worth a listen, and the artwork is very cool too, so purchasing the CD for it is, in my opinion, worth it.