‘Runner’ is the Chicago based The Sea and Cake’s tenth album, released one year before their 20 year anniversary. While feeding my ears with their early jazzy post-rock material I sense a fresh lo-fi feel, especially from ‘Nassau’ and ‘The Fawn’ released during the 90s. It’s like a not-so-edgy Do Make Say Think with vocals added to it, simply put. It could easily turn into boredom, but no, there is a clear point of view here and they seem to be very secure about their simplicity. They’re jamming in a hazy, laid-back fashion, almost as if playing while falling asleep.
With that vibe in mind I turn to their latest release where they have obviously gone into an indie-poppier direction. The production is tighter and Sam Prekops voice has grown more dominant in their sound. I honestly wish I could tell you all those things were good things, but unfortunately this release lacks the loose jam session-like approach from their earlier material almost completely. The only exception, and the big highlight on this record, is ‘The Invitations’ which halfway unfolds elegantly into a vibrant rhythm.
Ultimately, what my ears crave for in the world of non-mainstream music are the extremes. The incredibly emotional. The incredibly noisy. The incredibly dark. The incredibly intricate. The incredibly improvisational. The incredibly funky. The incredibly epic. The incredibly poppy. The incredibly something – without too much drama.
‘Runner’ doesn’t really make an impact on any particular level. It’s stuck in-between, not going in any clear direction. But the worst aspect of all: The Sea and Cake sound uninspired most of the time here. There is too much structure in the way to let these songs breathe. I don’t mind structure in itself, but that doesn’t seem to be what they do best. Next time I hope they’ll go jam themselves away far from a well equipped sound studio instead. Meanwhile, I will escape back to the 90s where I found some true gems from a brilliant jazz-rock band from Chicago.
Out now on Thrill Jockey.
Posted by Bjarte Edvardsen.
