I love The Sea and Cake. They're definitely one of my all time favorites, but in a very particular way. I never get super excited about them, can't remember the names of any of their songs, and can't sing along to them (though I can whistle along). And still I love them. My friend Meryl once said that when she doesn't know what else to put on, she always turns to The Sea and Cake. Exactly. They're almost always a really nice soundtrack to my life. They never offend my ears. I don't know what their lyrics mean, they seem almost like random phrases strung together, and whenever I choose to pay attention the phrase of that moment resonates just fine. I don't even know how to describe what genre their music would fall under - pop? indie rock? electronica? ambient? It's a mish mash, but it all works together.
Lucky for me, they're very prolific. All of these guys have other projects going on, yet over the last fifteen years, they've put out eight albums as The Sea and Cake. The album that really got me, when I started paying more attention, is "The Fawn," which came out in 1996. It's definitely on my top ten list. Once I was hooked on that, I made sure I had their previous albums, and have bought each one they've put out since. "Everybody" came out in 2007. I like it as much as I like any of their other albums. I don't often reach for it first, in part because I'm not a huge fan of the first track, so that kind of throws me off. It's more heavily rock influenced than a lot of their work tends to be, as is the third track. But when I let it play beyond those first few songs, I remember that I really like most of the album. There are a couple of singles that stand out - "Coconut" got a lot of airplay on WERS here in Boston, and "Exact to Me" also gets in your head. In a good way. Really, the whole album is good. Which pieces you'll love the most just depend on your personal preferences - and this band gives you a ton of options.
So, in a nutshell, if you don't own any Sea and Cake, you should. They're really impressive musicians, and their music is unlike any other group. At least that I know of. If you don't have "Everybody," I'd be happy to pass it on to you.
1 comment:
ok i am interested. don't know their music at all but i am very curious about this album. any takers yet?
i think the particularly cool thing about your site, meg, that while it is clearly a conceptually novel and interesting idea, your writing is very good. a perfect combination of personal stories and thoughtful observations. you are a cool egg. and i want this cd.
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