Critics have called the Chicago four-some The Sea and Cake a "post-modern jazz combo". While we have no idea what that means, we’ll just go ahead and say it is premium chill tuneage.
The band which formed in ’97 saw a brief hiatus a couple years ago, but have come back with two albums since last May and have really tightened up their sound. The latest effort, Car Alarm, came out a couple weeks ago and is perfect for lazy Sundays camped out in the stacks. And whether you want to admit it or not, that time of year is fast approaching where some study soundtracks will be a necessity.
The opening track, “Aerial”, sets the theme for the rest of the album – upbeat enough to keep you awake, chill enough to play in the background. It has a sort of 90s feel, I immediately thought of Nada Surf or The Replacements. I really dug the track “Weekend”, which opens with this cool acoustic strumming and does a complete 180 when an electronic drumbeat comes in after thirty seconds. The video for the song is pretty uber-hipster, but the track lends itself well to the weather this time of year. There are even a few songs, like “New Schools”, that have that cool lyrical staccato that Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke does. Overall, a cool record from a band you've probably never heard of.
I still don’t hear the ‘post-jazz’ or know what the hell that means, but the album really is perfect for hungover mornings or weekend afternoons locked away in a quiet library. This is by no means a band you’ll hear anytime on the Top 40s of America, but that’s okay. Not everything has to be endorsed by corporate radio.
Critics have called the Chicago four-some The Sea and Cake a "post-modern jazz combo". While we have no idea what that means, we’ll just go ahead and say it is premium chill tuneage.
