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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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The Sea and Cake: Seminal Chicago indie rockers return with One Bedroom.
Wednesday 05 March @ 13:06:56 |
 by Celeste Tabora
Shh: don’t tell MTV or commercial radio, but Chicago still has it going on. With bands like The Shipping News, Joan of Arc, 90 Day Men, and of course, The Sea & Cake, Chicago indie is still around, still going strong, still rocking hard and pushing the envelope, despite the recent musical focus on the East Coast.The Sea & Cake, a stalwart of the city’s experimental indie scene, has already produced six pretty and polished albums in its relatively few years of existence. (The band’s getting on close to ten now.) The Sea and Cake have become a force to be reckoned with in the world of indie music, and its members are envied, emulated, and carefully watched.
The band’s ringleader is Sam Prekop: he’s the main vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. Prekop is also an artist, and his paintings have been widely shown. (Prekop even had a solo show recently at Clementine Gallery in Chelsea, NYC.) He also dabbles in photography, a snip of which is featured on the cover of The Sea and Cake’s new album. Prekop’s vocal styling is very distinctive and a cornerstone of The Sea And Cake sound.
Bassist Erik Claridge is also an artist. His paintings and illustrations are featured regularly in the Chicago Reader. Musically a budding solo artist as well, Claridge has a signature style and provides the foundation of their sweet and soothing melodies.
Then of course there’s the infamous John McEntire, drummer and SOMA studios owner/engineer/producer. McEntire is not only a top-notch musician and a member of Tortoise (they’re working on a new album too, by the way), but the man who meticulously sets The Sea & Cake’s songs to record. And let’s not overlook Archer Prewitt the band’s guitar player: he also partakes in a musical solo project, is an artist-painter and illustrator, and created Sof’ Boy Comics. All of these other artistic pursuits have an influence on the band’s musicality.
The foursome’s technical prowess is the envy of many bands. Their latest album, One Bedroom, is yet another example of the Sea & Cake’s virtuosity. This band makes music that has been described as “Euro-influenced indie soft-rock” and sounds like different versions of “The Girl From Ipanema” as residents of another, colder planet would understand it—like the sound of a dream you clearly remember of a romantic, futuristic vacation in Brazil.
The instrumental “Four Corners” opens up the album, which came out in January of this year. The record shows that the band hasn’t taken its pop tendencies too far, and don’t feel the need to include vocals on every minute of every song. Prekop’s vocals are clearer and more up-front than in the band’s past recordings, though they don’t stick out like a sonic sore thumb, either. Becoming more and more sophisticated, softer, and increasingly somber, with One Bedroom, The Sea & Cake provide a smooth listen that can be appreciated by music fans of all backgrounds.
Longtime fans may notice a first for The Sea & Cake with their cover “The Sound and Vision.” The band started tinkering with the David Bowie song five years ago. For the recording, The Sea & Cake solicited the beautiful vocals of Frank & John, The Navin Brothers (also known as the band The Aluminum Group).
Overall, One Bedroom feels like a natural progression from the band’s previous release, “Oui.” Yet it seems miles apart from “The Fawn,” released in 1997, and even further from their earlier releases “The Biz” and “Nassau” which leaned toward the prog end of the musical spectrum. “One Bedroom” is more-or-less exactly what a long-time fan would expect of The Sea And Cake. At the same time, it’s the kind of recording that a newcomer to the band could easily fall in love with.
The Sea And Cake’s live show is definitely one to see, though it requires something of an open mind. The band definitely doesn’t “rock out.” Their so particular in their musical proficiency that they would be a joy for those who really understand what is going on on-stage, but perhaps a bit boring for those less inclined to musical perfectionism. The Sea & Cake is definitely about how the music sounds rather than how it looks—they leave the visuals for their other outlets.
The Sea & Cake perform this Wed., March 5 in the First Avenue Mainroom with openers Califone. 6 p.m. $12. All-ages. 701 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388.
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