One Bedroom
Label: Thrill Jockey
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: One Bedroom
Those that have enjoyed the laid-back, breathy jazz-pop of The Sea and Cake’s back catalog will find much to like on this new release. Sam Prekop’s dreamily focused vocals remain intact, floating atop his delicate guitar interplay with Archer Prewitt, while drummer John McEntire and bassist Eric Claridge effortlessly round out the rhythms. Perhaps it’s the freedom of having artistic pursuits outside of The Sea and Cake that allows each member to approach his respective parts with such grace and attention to detail. Yet, this is also what beleaguers the album. The remarkable fluidity of previous albums now comes across as studied, almost tentative. Though there are standouts on this record, such as the elegant, jaw-dropping simplicity of “Interiors” and the surprising cover of David Bowie’s “Sound & Vision,” overall the record sounds as if The Sea and Cake are actually covering their own material. Die-hard fans will, of course, love this business-as-usual approach, but those with a taste for the experimentation of the various sides and solo projects of the respective members will find this outing a little too staid and decorous to take the cake.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2003.