Customer Reviews

Sea & Cake

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

He might be as good as The Sea and Cake. This album, their self-titled debut, is a rare case of a band sounding fully mature on their debut. What may be suprising for someone who has never heard The Sea and Cake is how much their music influenced by '60s soul and R&B. Personal favorites include "Jacking the Ball", "Bring My Car I Feel To Smash It", and "Showboat Angel". If all you've heard about TS&C is that they are "post-rock", check out this album of light, jazzy, funky indie rock.

The Sea and Cake is one of those great bands that hardly ever get the recognition they deserve, as they serve up gentle, whimsical post-rock without pretension. It takes a little while to fully "get" the Sea And Cake's self-titled debut, but it's a swooning, sunny trip when you finally do.

It opens with the gentle, slightly trippy "Jacking the Ball," a little gem of a song that serves to hook and draw in listeners. Not poppy, not hookish -- just very, very pretty. Following it up is "Polio," with its soft brass arrangements over a pretty, airy musical arrangement -- the horns ground the melody, and add a more vibrant feeling to this song.

Among the songs that follow are the soft ballads "Bring My Car I Feel to Smash It" and loungey, languid "So Long to the Captain." And the darker, percussive sound of "Culabra Cut" with eerie brass arrangements... not to mention the sparkling keyboard/guitar pop of "Choice Blanket." And that's only some of it.

At first listen, many people might label "Sea and Cake" to be simple easy-listening music. It's soft, airy and pretty, and the hardest instrumentation that can be found is some mellow guitarwork. Not terribly rock-ish. But the Sea and Cake's soothing grooves are a lot more complex than they seem at first glance.

There are some hints of loungey jazz and indie pop woven into this music, which is mostly gentle guitarwork, often kept slow and quiet. Backing that up are some pretty wicked drums -- they're subtle enough that it's easy to not notice they are there, yet they are also an integral part of the music. And there's some equally subtle keyboard, adding to the feeling of drifting away on a sunny beach.

Sam Prekop's vocals are as dreamy and subtle as the music itself is; this guy sounds like he was made to sing this. And the lyrics are a mix of melancholy and optimism; one minute Prekop is singing "Showboat angel you're crazy/When you're saving me," then he's lamenting, "I'm better off lonely reels the captain/Smoke jumps from the fingertips/Smoke slips through the blue lips/I'm better off lonely."

Beautiful and memorable, the Sea and Cake's self-titled debut is definitely a keeper. Mixing gently indie-jazzy grooves with post-rock smoothness isn't easy, but it's the heart of this album.

Damn. This is a great CD. The Sea and Cake are the band that you've been longing for (Intelligent, progressive, experimental, accessible). Their songs have a confused simplicity about them that captures the listener and keeps one listening. Hours later, you'll swear you've had this CD for years. Top cuts: "Showboat Angel" "Flat Lay the Water" "Lost in Autumn" "Goodbye to the Captain". A great find.

Admittedly I've only recently discovered "The Sea and Cake", and this was recommended as a similar artist, by another group I was heavily into. Most people that don't know `Sea and Cake' and briefly hear them for the first time will lazily label the band as `Easy Listening', and although that's partly true, it goes way short of explaining how brilliant this band are at conveying a precious, Gently intimate Post-Rock that has more than a little bit of a hushed whimsy feel to it. The shimmering pop singalong of "Jacking The Ball" are highly infectious pop songs that seep into consciousness and will have you humming long after the Cd has left the Stereo. The downtempo strum of "Polio" show Sea and cake to be masters of reflective whimsy, and carry a poignancy, that never feels forced or pretentious. This wouldn't be a sea and cake album without several Acoustic tracks, and "Showboat Angel" fills this criteria perfectly, with a gentle groove ushered over the subdued vocals, its easily one of the best tracks on an album that although runs to only 10 tracks, is not cumbered with filler and every songs is deserving of space on the album. Those new to the Sea and Cake will be well advised to start with this album, and then continue with the rest of the albums if they like what they hear. But It must be mentioned that this isn't music that designed to impress your friends, as it resolutely considered, slow moving, refined, distinctive & cerebral. Its an album that grows over time, and each listen will give a deeper appreciation of what's being presented here, and it's very easy to get lost in the groove and let the lyrics pass over you. Either way, Sea and cake are a unique in the sense that their music is distinctive and isn't easy to mistake for anyone else....and those willing to give the album some time, will find its (considerable) charms hard to resist.

Sea and Cake are one of the most delighting bands in Indi-music. Quiet dissonance, soft melodies with an amazingly busy but tasteful rhythm section.

Soothing but complex. A delight.

Wow. Great mellow, intriguing rock. All are great songs, but Showboat Angel and the last track are my favs. I highly recommend it.

This album belongs on the Top 10 Best Albums of All Time list. Inescapably enjoyable.

ethereal - feathers your mind's eye with perfect blue beaches and lazy white sheets - a transport to myriad paradises - seductive and sublime ..

every element of this album fits. to emphasize the drumming might take away from the bass playing. The sound is quiet, melow. Years ago, when unwound was the band I listened to the most, I thought the sea and cake sounded like the Greatful Dead. Well, the dead could learn a lesson from the subtlety of the sea and cake- but they're dead.