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

the opening of "Too Strong" basically wraps up everything great about this band in about 7 seconds. excited for this new stuff. the title track sounds good to me.

Same, really excited. Sam Prekop has a unique voice, at least to my ears. It's like the softest blanket.

Band's in the running for "Most Taken For Granted" award.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, March 16, 2018 7:12 PM (three weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I can hear the Sea & Cake and think they're incredible and I can hear them a day later and think they're okay. I guess this is true of most music - I guess the new Autechre tracks can sound like genius or a racket depending on mood - but it surprises me the Sea & Cake, somehow.

I know zilch about this band, but I recently heard Prekop's "C+F" playing in a coffee shop -- the groove was so compelling, I had to figure out what it was (tried 3 times with a "song ID" phone app; it finally figured it out just before the track ended!)

They are perfect coffee shop music for sure (not that that’s a bad thing)

Any of you guys fans of Shrimp Boat?

xp Yeah, it reminded me of one of those bass-heavy songs from recent Spoon albums, but heavier on the atmosphere than the vocals -- which (however one may feel about that description) is ideal for that environment.

Any of you guys fans of Shrimp Boat?

Uhm, hell yes.

so

That's funny, I often think of Spoon as Austin's Sea and Cake.

I'll probably check this out, but it's been a while since they made an album I truly loved.

"These Falling Arms" is such a lovely tune

I can hear the Sea & Cake and think they're incredible and I can hear them a day later and think they're okay. I guess this is true of most music - I guess the new Autechre tracks can sound like genius or a racket depending on mood - but it surprises me the Sea & Cake, somehow.

― djh, Monday, April 9, 2018 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^ I think those are two really good examples of this phenomenon. I don't think it applies to all music - there is something about Sea and Cake that shifts from super compelling to super average; the line between the two is so subtle.

Sea and Cake may be the most subtle band in history.

djh that's really otm. TSAC sound incredible some of the time, other times I just completely forget I'm listening to them. As they've solidified their sound this gulf has only gotten wider.

as for Shrimp Boat - they're definitely very good, Duende in particular sounds like proto-TSAC to me, lots of catchy tunes and a bit of edge that this band doesn't have. kind of funny to hear what Prekop's voice sounded like before he decided to do that soft n' smooth vocal style full time

At least a couple tracks on early TSAC rekkids have that vocal style too. To me it kind of sounds like he’s aping Malkmus

yea I listen to "Jacking the Ball" and wonder why he don't ever sing like that anymore

lol I remember being in a record store and they played the debut album and I was like "wow! what is this GREAT album you guys are playing?!" but it was quite expensive so I didn't buy it

years later when I created a Spotify account that was one of the first albums I went to check out, but for some reason it now sounded completely average, and really I've never been able to hear again what I heard on that day in the record store

I just dialed it up on Spotify, out of curiosity. One of these guys is heavy on the Lou Reed-aping vocals! (that's not meant as a knock, half the indie guys in the '90s sang that way...)

part of the appeal, surely

haven't heard a sea and cake album since One Bedroom, I should go back and listen to what I've missed. the debut is one of my favorite albums of the 90's.

there was a thread on RYM about artists who's best tune was the first song on the first album. Sea & Cake immediately came to mind. Obviously they've done plenty of great stuff but man, "Jacking the Ball" is so perfect

for me The Biz is still the one that sticks out. I discovered it on accident. I was looking for "Cake" and someone cut out "The Sea And" on the file so I saw "The Biz" and was like, hmmm never heard that one before. There is something particularly mesmerizing about that tune, the way it just sorta gets lost within itself. The entire album is great.

as for the later stuff, I still really have an affinity for One Bedroom, it feels more exciting and solid than Oui or The Fawn. part of that might have been the fact that it was my second TSAC disc. there's sort of a diminishing returns with them. haven't really given their stuff after that much of a fair shake but according to iTunes I've played Everybody and Car Alarm a lot

I have those opening riffs of 'jacking the ball' in my head once a day, and have for like 20 years.

looking forward to boot & saddle philly represent may 18

I have those opening riffs of 'jacking the ball' in my head once a day, and have for like 20 years.

― akm, Thursday, April 12, 2018 2:33 PM (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalin

Time to change your ringtone.

here comes the reddening SOUL

they sound reinvigorated

They sound exactly the same

The bits and pieces I've heard from the new one have all sounded really good. But, just throwing this out there: Runner will be hard to top.

I could imagine holding both reggie and calstar's thoughts in my head.

the first three songs are really great! the rest is just a mass of sea and cakey niceness so far. more listens might open up those songs more i guess.

That’s a leak right? I thought it didn’t come until later in the month.

i preordered it from bandcamp and it came last week

ooh thx for the tip mate!

Listening to the new one, opening track is probably the most “aggressive” (in a laid back sense) I’ve ever heard them

So funny this popped up. Was thinking of reviving a Sea & Cake thread yesterday because I was listening to some solo Prekop and had the realization that it sounded like Prairie Home Companion jazz.

(NB, I do actually like these guys.)

Yeah, was surprised to find a new album waiting for me on spotify just now. I've had a love/hate/ennui relationship with their last couple albums. Nothing bad, but nothing that gets me excited either. I'll give this a try, but don't have high hopes at the moment.

This is sounding pretty nice. They seem to maybe be getting past their regular rock n roll band phase, back to something a bit more stylized and nuanced.

I feel like I should go back to some of their more recent releases, maybe I didn't give them a fair shot.

Is Everybody the only one th at McEntire did not produce?

They feel reinvigorated on this one - might be their best in many years. That said it’s still predictably Sea and Cakey. It starts to lose me in the second half. Perhaps that will change after more listens.

hard to believe it's been 5 1/2 years since Runner

This is predictably excellent.

RE: Claridge's involvement
Sam answered a question on an Instagram post yesterday and said that, unfortunately, Eric had succumbed to serious carpel tunnel in his fretting hand and is now unable to play as frequently as recording and touring would demand. Really too bad. Hope he's doing well otherwise.

Ah, I'd been wondering about that. Just saw them at the Empty Bottle in Chicago, and Doug McCombs was on bass.

Apparently, McEntire is moving to Nevada City, California:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ott-sea-and-cake-interview-0518-story.html

Hey new Sam Prekop! https://samprekop.bandcamp.com/track/summer-places"">And it's pretty good!

"Boy, I blew that!"
-Leo Kottke

Solid advance single!
As someone esp drawn to Prekop/S&C tracks like "Early Chicago" off the Two Gentleman EP (although I do like the fully abstract stuff, too) am really curious about this.

I dig it. Reminds me a bit of Wax Stag.

hope it's not all instrumental

I think his last solo album was all instrumental iirc. Personally not a fan of his bleep bloop stuff

He's had two albums and an EP of electronic stuff. Hasn't done the solo songwriter thing in years.

and another new one. i'm gearing up for this to be one of my top picks of the year. very excited.

Yeah, that second advance single off Comma convinced me to just bite and bullet and preorder it--looking fwd to its release.