Sea & Cake Everybody by: Daniel Grimsey Mon:18-Jun-07 Label: Thrill Jockey Year: 2007 WB rating 67 out of 100

Everybody is the seventh album by The Sea and Cake, a band that have been around forever, gathering a cult following; one of those ‘I think I’ve heard of them’ groups. Therefore before we begin, there is probably the need for a quick Idiot’s Guide to The Sea and Cake.  What do they sound like?

The Sea and Cake are, by definition, an indie band. This can be seen in their gently rolling guitar style, which is very Modest Mouse-y; in their drumming, which is light and laidback, and most of all in Sam Prekop’s (singer-songwriter) distinctive voice, existing in a space that’s just above whispering, and just below crooning.  It’s the ultimate slacker voice, just too cool. 

There is such a sense of Fonz-like coolness on Everybody, that the record is a very enjoyable listen, albeit a quite subtle form of fun.  This is not a party album.  Well, maybe a dinner party album. The Fonz-like coolness comes across in the frequency of ‘oh yeah’s’ and other mutterings that are scattered throughout the serious, jazz-influenced compositions. That may not sound like much, but ‘serious’ bands are just not supposed to go ‘oh yeah’ a lot.  And The Sea and Cake are definitely a ‘serious’ band.  I mean, the drummer John McEntire is in Tortoise, another post-rock group and a cult act in their own right; heading the ‘I think I’ve heard of them’ listings.

‘Crossing Line’ is such a song, a mix of “do do do do yeah, oh YEAH!” and seriousness. The final words are sung half laughing, carried by a distorted riff cleverly produced to subdue its rocking nature, allowing it to sound laidback and in the background. If up-front, the riff, and its dirty distortion, could almost have been a ‘90’s grunge classic, but The Sea And Cake are wise to the trappings of this and it is buttered up with shy lyricism: ‘all I need is a little smile’. 

Everybody is music for a world without egos. With their members seemingly competing not to be noticed, the band are living just a little below the radar. Such a status is reflected in the subtlety of their music and in their public perception. Unfortunately, all this hanging around in the background does have the sad tendency of making the songs sound a little samey, which is the main downfall of Everybody.  The initial pleasantries starts to grate after a while, as the songs begin to sound a little too polite.

On the best songs, such as ‘Crossing Line’, The Sea And Cake challenge this perception, armed with enough hooks to disarm even the most calloused listener. But on the more blah songs (‘Transparent’) the magic fades into formula. The main exception, however, to this same-sounding rule is ‘Exact To Me’, where The Sea and Cake’s playful style is employed on an unexpected genre: bossanova (yes, it’s more than just a Pixies album). ‘Exact To Me’ is strangely funky, borrowing traditional bossanova rhythms and guitar riffs and lacing them with a sound that is still undeniably The Sea and Cake. What makes ‘Exact To Me’ work is that it doesn’t seemed like a forced gear shift, the change is smooth and fitting. And what is this magic quality that instils The Sea and Cake with their own signature sound? It is Sam Prekop’s vocal; they could make a crunk record, and all you’d still recognise who this band is.

Albums such as Everybody are determined by their mood. While the sameness of the record hurts its status, its consistently subdued sound is a likely inspiration to putting on your slippers, making a cup of herbal tea and staying in for the night. The good thing is that if you follow these commands, you’ll have a reasonable night of musical entertainment in front of you.