Search - Sea & Cake :: Everybody

A new record from the Sea and Cake is like a cool breeze, floating in off the water after a hot, sunny day. Unlike the dark, cerebral vibe of label-mates Tortoise (for whom drummer/producer John McEntire also plays and produces), The S&C plays loose. Still, the new record from Sam Prekop and company is especially relaxed, with songs that melt down into colorful smears. While 2003's One Bedroom was pointing in a more pop-oriented direction, Everybody is even more straightforward and stripped down, with only peripheral references to the jazzier sound of past efforts like 1995's The Biz. They're still capable of it though. Check out the free-form, jam-band vibe of "Left On," as McEntire's rollicking percussion dissolves over Prekop's gentle fadeout. But songs like the lead track, "Up on Crutches" are more representative, full of momentum and dynamics. Even the instrumentation is simpler; listen to the hand claps and the fuzz pedal on "Crossing Line." The Sea and Cake have never sounded uptight, but at times their beachy sound has seemed a little forced, like they were straining to suppress their experimental chops. But in challenging themselves to simplify, the band finally achieves a state of laid back clarity. It's the perfect soundtrack to lazy Sunday afternoons, letting Prekop's breathless voice dissolve like vapor against diffuse melodies and gliding guitars. Put on Everybody and tune out of the world. --Matthew Cooke