The Sea and Cake: COD/SD etc. etc.

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So I am sitting here in my college radio studio subjecting Ames, IA to all five TSAC albums in a row, so I ask you: classic or dud, search and destroy, and so forth.

Factual reminder for Ned so that he can grouse about John McEntire: he's the drummer for TSAC as well as Tortoise.

Also include for completeness and variety's sake Shrimp Boat, Coctails, band member solo records, etc. (Will also hopefully add to responses to what I fear is a too obscure question.)

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

*grouse* There. What Sea and Cake I have heard I've not minded per se, but they haven't compelled me further. I have taken the claim that Oui would appeal to Laughing Stock fans under advisement, though. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I take it that was Karen's claim? If I made it then I retract it.

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Search: 'Flat Lay the Water', 'Showboat Angel', 'Parasol', 'Lamonts Lament', 'The Argument', 'The Colony Room'

I got The Biz at the same time as Nassau and ended up listening to it much less, so I don't know which songs to recommend on it. Overall, Nassau is my favorite.

They aren't my favorite band, but none of their work should be destroyed. (Maybe I don't know how to be critical about this kind of music.)

― youn, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Only have first TSAC album, which I enjoy but hardly ever listen to. Prefered the same (it seems) schtick on Shrimp Boat's Duende. The Coctails, however, are beyond classic. Search: Waiting For Godot.

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Can't say I know there work, but playing 5 albums in a row by one artist sounds dud to me.

― Billy Dods, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I like the Sea and Cake, like I like - oh, I don't know - parfaits. I never eat parfaits, and they're definitely not substantial enough to sustain me on a daily basis - actually, they're kind of lite and wussy as far as desserts go (sort of like how the Sea and Cake come across to me--not necessarily a bad thing at all), but pleasant. I don't own any of their albums, but from what I've heard, I like _The Fawn_ the most.

― Clarke B., Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Well lucky for you we are only a .25 kW station, hmm?

(You should try it sometime with some artist you like, it's different.)

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I like a lot of these answers already. And yes, Karen made said connection, yay.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I forgot to talk about the Coctails. I love everything on the s/t album and 'Postcard' and 'Even Time' on Peel - well, all of it, but those songs especially. With my delayed record buying scheme, I should be able to get The Early Hi-Ball Years the next next time I buy records.

― youn, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Classic! The Biz and Nassau are probably my favorite Sea and Cake albums, respectively, but I listen to all of them regularly. Sam Prekops's guitar solo on "The Biz" is fantastic (I always figured it was Archer till I saw them live), and I'm not usually one to get excited about guitar solos.

Search: Sam's solo disc, Archer Prewitt's In the Sun. Destroy: Archer Prewitt's White Sky.

(Speaking of TSAC shows, I've been to a few, and they always end with "Do Now Fairly Well", which also happens to be the last song on The Fawn. Even when I saw Sam's solo show, he ended with that song. Anyone else notice this? I really like that song, so maybe that's why I remember.)

― Aaron, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

See here. Because of this (and the fact that I basically bought 4 of their 5 albums all at the same time) I have trouble searching/destroying etc. I don't think it's just a matter of critical blindness - I like the band quite a bit, but it's not like that. The differences just don't seem to be the kind that engender searching/destroying. Does this make sense?

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Classic! Great pop-rock group - sometimes they remind me of the Clean or the Chills (big compliment, btw.) McEntire one of the best drummers in the world, really kept the group moving when I saw them at ATP. Not in any sense post-rock despite the Chicago pedigree. Don't think any of their albs are 100% great all the way through - am always mentally compiling my own TSAC comp - but would say that 'Nassau' prob their strongest rec - love the hint of calypso in the some of the tunes. 'Oui' took quite a while to sink in but prob. their best sounding rec so far. The Prekop solo alb produced by O'Rourke also a great summery disc. Also search: 'The C in Cake' by Gastr Del Sol.

― Andrew L, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I'd always heard TSAC described as having undergone the "electronic" revolution Josh disagrees with occurring. Unfortunately, I'm too weak on them to really discuss in depth. I do think that a similar ambiance can make differentiation tricky. However, as TSAC have obviously evolved somehow, it seems possible simply to ask if the earlier or later stuff is better. And indeed Josh, on his blog, did state some preference (as I recall) for a particular period. But with such an overall cohesive body of work, the notion of S&D (which searches for EXCEPTION) seems to be a bit naff. Far better to ask, perhaps, "moving forwards or backwards". Also the existance of The Coctails who are utterly unique and different and Prewitt et al's solo work tends to liven things up. Question for y'all: how in the hell did The Coctails' goofy sound influence TSAC (I hardly hear it at all)? Or did it not?

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

here comes the shocker: i actually love a sea and cake song. it's one of the first couple songs from the fawn. i think it's either "the argument" or "the sporting life." it has a great synth hook i could hum to you if you're in the ottawa area. i think i liked "jacking the ball" as well. i'm not sure that anything else has grabbed me very much. i'd never listen to five albums in a row to find out.

― sundar subramanian, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I should work up something better about that, because there obviously have been changes that have come at the same time as some more electronic stuff. I just don't like the pat way people point that out, as if it were suddenly scary ELECTRONICS that caused all the changes. I'm not totally happy with how I've explained what I think, there.

Have they gotten better or improved, also possibly not appropriate, is what I am saying, I think, for similar reasons - maybe I'd say the movement has been sideways, if you will.

Have disappointingly never heard Coctails or Shimp boat so cannot comment. Hope to remedy this in near future.

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Oh, and re preference: after hearing them all back to back tonight I can't really stand by my relative dissing of Oui. Which makes my preferences among the albums feel even more me-contingent; before tonight I would've said I preferred the first four anyway, which is hardly just a period. But really I like the first (s/t), third (The Biz), and fourth (The Fawn) the best. I still think the others are good, I just don't feel like hearing them as much.

― Josh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Is 'The Sea and Cake' the worst band name ever? Or is it only one of the worst band names ever?

― the pinefox, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I've almost started a S&C thread a couple times, something along the lines of "Bands You Have Many Albums By And Aren't Sure Why." Every once in a while I flip through my collection and see that I own every album except for Oui. I even had the remix thing once (Did you play that in your set, Josh? That always seemed one of the worst of its kind. But I sold it a couple years ago.)

I think I got hooked by a couple of GREAT songs and then picked up the albums when I saw them used. Every album has two or three excellent tracks ("Parasol," "The Argument" "The Sporting Life" "Jacking The Ball") and then a lot that I just don't remember very well. But I'd say they're an intersting band. Very specific mood & sound they conjure. There is a Steely Dan connection, yes? But I like S&C a lot more than Steely Dan.

― Mark, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Shrimp Boat were beyond excellent - much rougher and more rock, though, but doing what they did in Chicago at the time was pretty * bold* and really exciting to watch. I think the one I liked most was Duende and, well, this limited edition CD of their experimental early work when they couldn't play all that well. All of their albums are good if you like them, only the other guy (Ian Schneller) is a bit annoying. I was completely obsessed with them - they were extremely fresh.

I like the Sea and Cake as well - as quiet as they can be, there are some very fine melodies in there. When I need to mellow out without switching off my brain, this is the stuff. And as a girl, uh, I always liked Sam Prekop's voice - it's kinda mumbly-sexy.

― Kerry Keane, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Pinefox: See Andrew L's "search" on Gastr del Sol's "The C in Cake." Hence the name, which I've always liked.

Sterling: I think it's harder to see the Coctails' influence in retrospect, now that that particular jazz-ish tinge is common to a lot of Chicago stuff. But when the Sea and Cake were getting started, the "Chicago Sound" still meant Urge Overkill or Smashing Pumpkins, making it a lot easier to tie the Coctails' and the Sea and Cake together. Plus you tag them as "goofy," which makes me wonder what period of their material you've heard most: The Early Hi-Ball Years is decidedly goofy, but their later material was a lot more poker-faced.

Sundar: Probably it's "The Sporting Life," which has a much clearer synth hook. "The Argument," I think, is utterly remarkable for its intro, during which McEntire manages to layer in little panned-out touches of organic percussion in much the same way jungle artists use breakbeats.

I should also throw my support behind Prekop's solo record, which is perfect from the cover art on in --- it's surely spent more time playing near me than all the Sea and Cake material combined. Which says a lot, as The Fawn and the self-titled album are personal favorites.

― Nitsuh, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I want to say that the Coctails played with Shrimp Boat, but I'm not positive on that.

― Kerry, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I like The Sea and Cake, and think it's a good band name, too. The title "Jacking the Ball" makes me uneasy, though.

― Sean, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Classic, though I know nothing about them, or--if it's one guy with expensive recording equipment-- him. We listened to Oui quite a few times on vacation and it made everything exceedingly better. Couldn't tell you a single lyric off the top of my head, though. The second song on Oui has a fantastic drum beat-- what is it: "Take me to the top, yes I'll stop you"?? No, of course it's not, but that's how little I hear whatever the guy's whispering. Darn pretty though. 5 albums? Shit. Haven't heard over half of 'em!

― Nude Spock, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

dud, the musical equivalent of an academic paper. when i hear them it always sounds to me like the band thinks they are doing me a favor by releasing their music. i saw archer prewitt live, he's a serious musician and he is a dud too.

― keith, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

*hrmph* I still think the Poster Children were the best band that fucker McEntire's ever been involved with. So HA!

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Oh, but they ARE doing us a favor, keith. They are.

I don't really think your acerbic comment about academic papers is very apt. Academic writers wish they could be this precisely, casually graceful. Well, no. They don't (which is the problem with academic writers).

― Josh, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

My favorite track on The Biz is 'The Transaction'. It sounds like a love song, but then the fantastic drumming makes it sound Olympian.

Question for y'all: how in the hell did The Coctails' goofy sound influence TSAC (I hardly hear it at all)? Or did it not?

Maybe in 'Escort' - parody of music in a James Bond/spy flick? But then I haven't heard the earlier Coctails, so I don't know if this is what you're on about.

― youn, Saturday, 21 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

*hrmph* I still think the Poster Children were the best band that fucker McEntire's ever been involved with. So HA!

McEntire wasn't in Poster Children. You're thinking of Johnny "Machine" Herndon.

As for The Sea and Cake, no comment.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 24 July 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

Yes, Johnny Machine (Herndon) was in Poster Children. John McIntire was in Seam at one point, Tortoise, Smog at one point, S&C, The Red Krayola, the Stycastocats (spelling?), Bastro, and Oily Blood Rag among surly more. Johnny was in Five Style, Tortoise, Mistro Subgum and the Whole at one point, King Kong at one point, Uptighty, Aluminum Group at one point, Poster Children at one point, among others.

Shrimp Boat was a very very great band. A really great moment of music in Chicago. Singular. As good as the records are (see: SPECKLY) they were more of an AMAZING live experience. Sam went on to do S&C and solo record, Ian Schneller went on to do a band called Falstaff and makes guitars under the name Specimen, Dave went on to paint, Eric Clairage (Ian's brother) went on to be the bass player in S&C, and Brad Wood (producer of Liz Phair among many many other records) was the drummer/sax-ist. They had another drummer and additional sax player in their final days but some people dont even count that as

― Mark, Thursday, 27 September 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

i like this board, or whatever it is. ive never seen so many people knowing about tsac in one place. i think there are some slight traces of all the splinter bands, ie tortoise, coctails, but mostly shrimp boat. there were some songs on duende that could have almost been on the first self titled tsac album. i dont know whats happening with them as far as the electronics are concerned. it seemed that in '97 all the thrill jockey crew were obsessed with drum machines. they can be heard on the fawn, tnt, as well as the mcentire produced-trans am album surrender to the night. though mcentire continues to use them in current productions like the recent rebecca gates album, they seem to have moved away from that sound in oui. i think on the next they should either go back to the electronics or the rockin like in the biz and nassau. the sound in oui is nice, but not half as good as the old stuff.

― jordan, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

4 months pass...

In the last couple of months I've been listening to my Sea and Cake a lot more, the first ablum and Nassau in particular. And now I want to hear more. So which one of these is best?

1) Oui
2) Sam Prekop solo
3) Prewitt solo (which album?)

Thanks for any help...

― Mark, Wednesday, 3 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Interesting. The only thing I own by TSAC is 'Two Gentlemen', which I'm guessing isn't representative...

― dan, Wednesday, 3 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

No, Two Gentlemen is not representative at all. They're a smooth pop/rock band, for the most part.

― Mark, Wednesday, 3 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

mark, the prekop solo is one of the best records of the 90s. easily.

― jess, Wednesday, 3 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Agreed!

― Andrew L, Wednesday, 3 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

don't believe the hype ... the sam prekop album seems deliberately obtuse. open close listening the songwriting is weak (but good sounding) and if you heard the album being piped down a disused elevator shaft you'd think it was the perfect fusion between pop and jazz. i think either the saving grace or the damnation of this album is the result of that infernal meddler jim o'rourke ... hard to decide.

the ride out on the last track with strings and funky bass is absolutely, unbelievably sublime though. worth the price of admission for that alone.

― fields of salmon, Wednesday, 3 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Nobody has mentioned Shrimp Boat's album CAVALE, and in specific the song "Small Wonder"? I'd trade that song for The Sea and Cake's entire discography any day. (Although I admit to only owning NASSAU, and not having listened to it for years and years.)

― doug, Wednesday, 3 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

I disagree with 'Salmon" about the Sam record. I think it is not only some of the best of all of Sam's different bands and closest to 'singer'songwriter' as Sam has ever gotten, but I would think that this is an album jim o'rourke bairly 'touched' musically speaking. It is mostly a straight forward four piece group playing minamally behind Sam. Sure, Jim may have helped with a string section hear and there and maybe a few of those crazy electronic tricks but in comparison to what Sam and Archer have shown on past releases, the 'meddling' seems at a minimum. I think the record is smokin'! Plus when Sam whet on the road with just guitar and Archer backing on another guitar, it was amazing, almost showing all other things were unimportant to those songs, all stipped away.

don't believe the hype ... the sam prekop album seems deliberately obtuse. open close listening the songwriting is weak (but good sounding) and if you heard the album being piped down a disused elevator shaft you'd think it was the perfect fusion between pop and jazz. i think either the saving grace or the damnation of this album is the result of that infernal meddler jim o'rourke ... hard to decide. the ride out on the last track with strings and funky bass is absolutely, unbelievably sublime though. worth the price of admission for that alone.

-- fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon@yahoo.com), April 03, 2002.

-------------------------------------------------------

― mark, Sunday, 21 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

today i have bought this prekop lp, and have now played the second side about 6 times in a row. the last time i had played a new record this much was probably moon pix. and if anyone understands how i feel about cat power, that is saying something. im really liking it, in other words. thanks ilm

― Ron, Saturday, 18 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I'm positively giddy. For the longest time I was desperately trying to convince everyone around me that they were complete fools for being so interested in the Prewitt records and not paying any attention to the Prekop, which -- well yes, it's completely shameful that it's never considered as quite possibly the best record to come from that entire Chicago era, if not one of the best records of those years period. Mini-infection here on ILM, thankfully: maybe next I will be able to convince people of the monumental brilliance of Graham Coxon's first solo record.

― nabisco%%, Saturday, 18 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

but are you going to say anything about WHY you think it's better, nniatbsiushco? I haven't listened to it much yet but offhand I'd guess you have something in mind like that it has more of that real band in a room stuff over the studiometrickery and krautische dronism of tsac. (which by itself doesn't sound convincing enough to me)

― Josh, Sunday, 19 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I'd guess you have something in mind like that it has more of that real band in a room stuff over the studiometrickery and krautische dronism of tsac.

Hahaha Josh: okay not everything I think relates to my pet theory of last summer, and besides, the whole reason I was so whole- hog taken with the Chicago post-rock concepts was that I really do go for the studiometrickery and krautische dronism. But ... umm ... yeah, that is sort of part of it: Jim O'Rourke's real contribution to the Chicago bunch was that crisp roomy realistic production of his, and maybe 15% of the Prekop's greatness revolves around the thrill of hearing that a lot of the studio-y post-rock aims could be stripped back and accomplished more naturally as well. (I.e. in some sense it's argument is that the core of what works about Prekop's post-rock isn't the post-rock textural stuff: it's really just Prekop himself.)

But the majority of its goodness (and this is a slightly-related point but isn't so much about sound as it is about songwriting) comes from the fact that it erases a lot of what people slag off in Chicago post-rock: for one thing, it has this weird sense of humility about it, insofar as it erases a lot of the showy grooves and pulses in favor of this incredibly pretty and incredibly graceful light-on-its- feet feel. Also and most importantly it's just a really solid composition: a lot of post-rock records seem very much rock, insofar as they're trying to be sort of expansive and groovy, whereas the Prekop has a weirdly Satie-ish sense of being very much a composition and an arrangement in ways that the Sea and Cake (who themselves were pop to post-rock's rock) never were.

Also the simultaneous Prewitt and Prekop solo records were really telling, insofar as it became clear that Prewitt wanted to work with a much much more traditional singer-songwritery format (which people disappointingly paid way more attention to) whereas Prekop went for this highly-composed and very unique territory that comes around to some really terrific pop at lots of points on the record -- which is sort of what I go for most in music, interesting visions that coalesce into really great pop from directions one wouldn't expect.

Last argument revolves around the fact that the Prekop solo sort of reveals Prekop as the bigger definer of the Sea and Cake sound -- and so when I'm really really enjoying the Prekop, it's easy to look at some Sea and Cake stuff and see it as the essence of what's great about Prekop but blanketed and sort of obscured with a lot of other people's very of-the-moment "post-rock" ideas. In this sense it's good that the Prekop came toward the end of Chicago post-rock seeming very vibrant and relevant, as I think it -- with its more singular Prekoppy vision -- will for a good while seem like the diamond in there, the timeless one.

That said, I've gone back and forth a lot over whether the Prekop is really better than The Fawn, which I also love: the fact that The Fawn is more of-its-moment (and thus essentially "dates" now that I'm "getting over" post-rock) might be what makes me, a few years later, prefer the Prekop, which I'll admit might be a critical bias.

Dude, you asked.

― nabisco%%, Sunday, 19 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

my guess involved your old pet theory because the record sounds so much like that! but I don't quite follow you on this composition stuff. I was listening last night and noticing how lots of the songs tend to have a really serial form, in that they'll do something for a while, then do something else for a while, then something sort of ending-sounding (like the strings). that strikes me as not as 'compositional' as it could have been - could've been more done to unify those parts somehow. the end of the record trails off some for me, and I wonder if that isn't the reason why: without the tighter song structures gotten by putting those parts together, the songs just sound sort of directionless (not in the good stasisy way) when the parts aren't as good. 'faces and people' sounds like the ideal thing to have burst into a lazy, joyful indie-house-glitch-pop song, but then it just sort of repeats itself forever. that's kind of disappointing to me, though I got used to it. I find comparisons to gastr's camofleur instructive - I've seen it mentioned a lot in reviews. things that record does differently: the string-things-out compositional strategy is done by stringing DIFFERENT things out, letting the songs shift, rather than stringing out what sound like they could be extra layers in the same song. uh, sorry, I only had one thing in mind.

why doesn't prekop just make an all-bossa nova record?

― Josh, Sunday, 19 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

7 months pass...

'one bedroom' is my new favorite song!!

― ron (ron), Saturday, 18 January 2003 02:31 (10 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

What time signature is the song "Biz" in?

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 17 June 2005 01:30 (8 years ago) Permalink

hee hee, mark greenberg's post up there fails to mention precious wax drippings.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 17 June 2005 01:35 (8 years ago) Permalink

god the first album is fucking untouchably great

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 17 June 2005 02:28 (8 years ago) Permalink

showboat angel! they never got fun like this again

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 17 June 2005 02:28 (8 years ago) Permalink

How do you like the 2nd Prekop, Nitsuh?

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 17 June 2005 17:48 (8 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 17 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

zung

― Hurting 2, Friday, 22 June 2007 16:36 (5 years ago) Permalink

I see that both Tortoise and the Sea and Cake are on tour right now; which band is McEntire playing with? Anybody know?

― kwhitehead, Friday, 22 June 2007 16:53 (5 years ago) Permalink

the sea and cake

― hstencil, Friday, 22 June 2007 16:56 (5 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, I know about Claridge's painting career, dude.

― jaymc, Friday, 22 June 2007 16:59 (5 years ago) Permalink

when did you 'discover' it?

okay, okay, i'll stop

― hstencil, Friday, 22 June 2007 17:01 (5 years ago) Permalink

please

― strongohulkington, Friday, 22 June 2007 20:13 (5 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

http://www.thrilljockey.com/catalog/index.html?id=103254
new album called Car Alarm to be released 2008-10-21

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 07:03 (4 years ago) Permalink

first album still my favorite by them, I don't think they'll ever top it.

― akm, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 07:20 (4 years ago) Permalink

I don't know what their best album is but I know that everyone had some really good songs. Glass EP, for instance, was a great direction for The Sea and Cake but then they had to release Everybody next - I didnt really care for that album. But as far as mixtapes go, they have more than enough great material spanning their entire career. Archer Prewitt could easily have a greatest hits cd also even though he has only released 5 albums.

The Sea and Cake's lyrics have always been nice, abstract pleasantries that are unlike any other bands lyrics. There is a timeless quality to the lyrics since for the most part they don't make any sense and you can envision the story differently every time.

And Sam Prekop's voice is easy on the ears but always fresh and crispy nonetheless.

So yeah The Sea and Cake has always been in my top 10 band list.

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 07:40 (4 years ago) Permalink

Still play & enjoy Everybody a lot. Should check out the debut I guess. Looking very much forward to Car Alarm. Although that blurb on the TJ site is a bit too much/elaborate I like the idea of them going straight into the studio after touring the last album and record the next in 3 months time.

― willem, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 08:22 (4 years ago) Permalink

1) Nassau
2) The Fawn
3) The Biz

― Arghn, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 11:32 (4 years ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

Car Alarm sounds the way I want it to so far :)))

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:23 (4 years ago) Permalink

did not know about this

― I know, right?, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:25 (4 years ago) Permalink

As good as two gentlemen?

― I know, right?, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:26 (4 years ago) Permalink

does louis jagger like these guys? they seem like his kinda thing, I'm kinda surprised that he hasn't contributed to this thread

― I know, right?, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:31 (4 years ago) Permalink

Well I got 5 tracks out of 12 and Two Gentlemen isn't the one I listen to. I play random tracks so I wouldn't know. I just know this is better than Everybody. But I love the band nonetheless... it doesn't have poppy like singing as does "we come by when you say that, we come by, we come by when you say that, we come by" or Afternoon Speaker or Station In The Valley. It has the heavier guitars from everybody but they sound more like the traditional sea and cake sound "beachy"... and the singing sounds great even though not poppy so far (I've heard 5 tracks).

They are definitely my thing. I give the a big shiny star. Fuck Louis Jagger or whoever he is.

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:33 (4 years ago) Permalink

I'd say if you like Two Gentlemen and havent tried Glass ep, go for it.
But this doesn't sound like those so much so far.

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:38 (4 years ago) Permalink

I like glass fine, but it doesn't have Early Chicago and a brilliant cover.

― I know, right?, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:41 (4 years ago) Permalink

I'll give those a go, I'll be jogging today with my ipod, might as well

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:42 (4 years ago) Permalink

http://www.wikiupload.com/download_page.php?id=50505
Here's just a small taste of the more technoish sound of one short track.
The other songs aren't like this though.

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 19:48 (4 years ago) Permalink

everytime this thread pops up I'm compelled to say: SHOWBOAT ANGEL

― akm, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 20:45 (4 years ago) Permalink

^^^^^^^^

― Mr. Que, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 20:47 (4 years ago) Permalink

Always hated this guy's insufferable vox.

― Steve Shasta, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 20:50 (4 years ago) Permalink

I bet you like crappy music in general :[ Mr. Steve Hater

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 20:54 (4 years ago) Permalink

Where are you hearing this? I e-mailed Brent DiCrescenzo a few weeks ago after he reviewed "Car Alarm" (the song) in Time Out Chicago to see where I could find it. No dice.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 21:08 (4 years ago) Permalink

Soulseek, as a temporary mediator before I decide whether to purchase the album. Still stuck with only 5 songs though.

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 21:09 (4 years ago) Permalink

anyone hear this yet?

― CaptainLorax, Monday, 11 August 2008 00:21 (4 years ago) Permalink

It's funny how there are a whole bunch of bands I liked in college that have since put out one or more boring albums that have caused me to lose interest - these guys, Silver Jews, Bonnie Prince Billy, Tortoise, etc. Actually maybe that's not funny at all but in fact totally predictable.

― Hurting 2, Monday, 11 August 2008 00:58 (4 years ago) Permalink

For me Tortoise lost me with their bonnie prince billy album, but I wont stop perusing them or the sea and cake who lost me with Everybody. They both have it in them for some great song if not albums.

― CaptainLorax, Monday, 11 August 2008 02:08 (4 years ago) Permalink

Glass and One Bedroom had some great songs as did Tortoise's It's All Around You and A Lazarus Taxon...

I meant Tortoise's boring collaboration with Will Oldham ^^^ one thread up.

I'm listening to the new sea and cake right now, they almost always have a great vibe; track 6, weekends, is kicking my ass.

― CaptainLorax, Monday, 11 August 2008 02:11 (4 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

new video up at Pitchfork. Mark gives it a nice description, but I didn't like the electronics. And I always want them to use more electronics.

― mizzell, Friday, 12 September 2008 17:51 (4 years ago) Permalink

I've been playing this album a lot. At first I liked the song in the video you mentioned. Now the electronics are agreeably more annoying than cool.

But the song that comes after it New Schools, is my fav on the album.
The first song Aerial is pretty good as well

― CaptainLorax, Friday, 12 September 2008 22:53 (4 years ago) Permalink

Probably because New Schools is the only one with a guitar solo?

Reminds me of the new Wilco album in that I like Impossible Germany for the guitar solo and then there is some nice stuff on there but that's pretty much it. At least Car Alarm has more of a beachy feel of their earlier albums.

― CaptainLorax, Friday, 12 September 2008 22:58 (4 years ago) Permalink

I listened to a bunch of their albums today and Nassau is so, so great. But pretty different from the rest. That and the Fawn are my top two.

― mizzell, Friday, 12 September 2008 23:23 (4 years ago) Permalink

5 months pass...

Just saw a Citi commercial while watching Heroes that uses "Jacking The Ball." Weird. I wonder if they're gettin paid. Makes me wanna listen to that first album again for the first time in years.

― Fastnbulbous, Friday, 6 March 2009 06:35 (4 years ago) Permalink

Ha, a friend e-mailed me about that this morning. I'm sure they're getting paid. Sam Prekop wrote an original song for a Target commercial a few years ago.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 6 March 2009 06:43 (4 years ago) Permalink

I heard an album by these blokes. it was alright but I don't think they write very good songs

― Party Sausage, Friday, 6 March 2009 09:16 (4 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...

New album 'Runner' (number ten apparently!) is out in September on Thrill Jockey. I'm not familiar with their previous albums, but have really got to like this one in the past week...

Has anyone who knows the previous albums heard it? How might it compare?

― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Sunday, 5 August 2012 22:17 (10 months ago) Permalink

Ooh I hadn't heard there was a new one, thanks for the tip. I kind of feel like their last few albums have appealed to me mostly as comfort music, but ain't nothing wrong with that.

― Trewster Dare (jaymc), Sunday, 5 August 2012 23:39 (10 months ago) Permalink

Theyve been gradually moving into less comfy, chilled grounds into some sort of rock-pop with a retro pastiche. His singing voice seems like its aping Robert Smith at times imho, not necessarily a bad thing.

Only heard Harps off of this so far and it sounds good, similar to what they were doing in Car Alarm but more straightforward in the rhythm section.

― Moka, Sunday, 5 August 2012 23:47 (10 months ago) Permalink

Also track 'an echo in' from the glass ep is one of my favorite of them and pretty similar to the last single in mood.

― Moka, Sunday, 5 August 2012 23:50 (10 months ago) Permalink

Is there a new single available?

― calstars, Monday, 6 August 2012 01:21 (10 months ago) Permalink

Oops I meant Harps maybe not new single it made it into pitchforks best new tracks and I assumed they only reviewed singles:

― Moka, Monday, 6 August 2012 03:35 (10 months ago) Permalink

Getting a Can "All Gates Open" vibe from that

― Brakhage, Monday, 6 August 2012 17:32 (10 months ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

these new songs are incredible! seriously great.

― tylerw, Tuesday, 21 August 2012 18:06 (9 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Uhhh. . . Runner is seriously their most well-rounded and best album since the Fawn.

And probably my favorite album of 2012.

― Austin, Friday, 5 October 2012 04:28 (8 months ago) Permalink

you know I should really get off my ass and get a copy of this

― frogbs, Friday, 5 October 2012 13:31 (8 months ago) Permalink

same here - loving the "single"(?)

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, 5 October 2012 14:58 (8 months ago) Permalink

new one is great, but they all are. looking forward to seeing them live in a few weeks.

― mizzell, Friday, 5 October 2012 16:15 (8 months ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

they were great last night. played a lot of the new album (on and on, harps, and the runner are seriously up there with their best ever songs) plus jacking the ball, the argument and an excellent extended jam on station in the valley (i think; it was something from the biz). no eric claridge though, doug mccombs filled in, not sure why.

― mizzell, Monday, 22 October 2012 19:56 (7 months ago) Permalink

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