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Артист: The Sea And Cake Альбом: One Bedroom, 2003 Издатель: Thrill Jockey Records / THRILL 116 Жанр: Post-Rock, Experimental Формат файла: EAC-APE-CUE-LOG-HQCovers Ссылка: CD 6 clicks Нахождение: eDonkey

Tracklist:
01. Four Corners [5:44]
02. Left Side Clouded [3:15]
03. Hotel Tell [4:01]
04. Le Baron [4:04]
05. Shoulder Length [3:09]
06. One Bedroom [3:58]
07. Interiors [4:19]
08. Mr. F [4:19]
09. Try Nothing [2:56]
10. Sound & Vision [4:06]

All songs by The Sea And Cake except 'Sound And Vision' by David Bowie
Recorded and mixed by John McEntire at Soma Electronic Music Studio, Chicago 2002

Personnel:
Sam Prekop - vocals, guitar, synthesizer
Archer Prewitt - guitars, piano, synthesizer, vocals
Eric Claridge - bass
John McEntire - drums, percussion, piano, synthesizer
Mikael Jorgensen - electric piano (6,7)
John Navin - vocals (10)
Frank Navin - vocals (10)

CODE

EAC extraction logfile from 21. August 2007, 12:16 for CD The Sea And Cake / One Bedroom Used drive  : LITE-ON DVDRW SOHW-1213S  Adapter: 1  ID: 1 Read mode  : Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, disable cache Read offset correction : 12 Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No Used output format : Internal WAV Routines                     44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo Other options      :     Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes     Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No     Installed external ASPI interface Range status and errors Selected range     Filename E:\INCOMING\EAC\The Sea And Cake - One Bedroom.wav     Peak level 98.8 %     Range quality 100.0 %     CRC 539E858F     Copy OK No errors occured End of status report

Their first record in over two years finds them as innovative and vibrant as ever. Cutting guitar notes, melodic, propulsive, and rhythmic drumming, swirling synthesizers and distinct vocals that float in and out. While there are moments of transcendental bliss, the record retains an overall pop element throughout. Includes the Bowie cover 'Sound And Vision' with The Aluminum Group joining in. Thrill Jockey. 2002.

The Sea and Cake's sixth album, One Bedroom, is elegant pop. Membrane like layers of electronic tones, delicate synthesizers surround intricately woven guitars. Melodic bass lines punctuate these restrained and complex sounds. Songs are propelled by imaginative percussion lines and shaped by spare warm vocals. Prekop’s lyrical style is poetic as opposed to narrative. Paradoxically, the resulting album of delicate precisely constructed songs sounds effortless. One Bedroom is a beautiful collection of creatively constructed and singular pop songs.
After Eight years, the Sea and Cake lineup remains the same: Sam Prekop (vocals and guitars), Erik Claridge (bass), John McEntire (drums), and Archer Prewitt (guitar). Their musical vocabulary is greatly expanded by their other artistic pursuits. Erik Claridge has been working on a solo album as well as his continuing painting/ illustration career, part of which is a regular insert in the Chicago Reader. Archer continues to create his Drawn and Quarterly produced Sof’ Boy comics. Prewitt additionally released a solo album entitled Three. John has engineered numerous records in his own Soma Studio including- One Bedroom. McEntire has also managed to make time to start recording a new Tortoise album as well as play a collaborative performance at the Thalia Theater with Ikue Mori and Zeena Parkins. Sam Prekop, with whom most songs originate, has had several painting shows including a solo show at Clementine Gallery in Chelsea. Prekop has also continued to pursue photography, it is his photo on the One Bedroom cover. The Sea and Cake is a group of active individuals whose experiences add to its vibrant palette of sounds, tones, and textures.
The opening song "Four Corners", the title track, and "Mr. F" are signature Sea and Cake tunes. Prewitt and Prekop’s guitar interplay, swirling synthesizers and the melodic propulsive rhythms of McEntire and Claridge all delicately surround Prekop’s buttery vocals. Lyrics seemingly float on a delicate cloud of sound. Vocals take center stage with "Left Side Clouded" and "Try nothing ". The former broken up by surprisingly distorted guitar whilst the latter one of the few elements of this powerfully simple song that was programmed and recorded by Prekop in his home studio. The rhythms of "Hotel Tell" and "Le Baron" showcase McEntire’s programming prowess with their inventive rhythms and surprising sound selections. It is not surprising to see such choice analog synthesizer tones driving the vocals which are brought far more forward on One Bedroom than previous Sea and Cake recordings. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the record comes in their version of Bowie’s "Sound and Vision." The band actually started toying with the song some five years ago as the song is a group favorite. The version remains faithful the original yet has the distinctive Sea and Cake stamp of creatively and precisely placed tone and color, delicate guitar touches, and driving rhythms. Prekop’s warm vocals are filled out by the baritone vocals of the Aluminum Group’s Navin brothers. The carefully constructed recording floats along seemingly without effort. In his lyrics Bowie asks listeners "Don’t you wonder sometimes about sound and vision"? Sound, vision, and envisioning a new Pop sound are the Focus of the Sea and Cake’s imagination and considerable musical skills. One Bedroom gracefully illustrates why The Sea and Cake stand quietly alone in pop currents. (thrilljockey.com)

A busy slate of side projects seems to have cast this vaunted Chicago "post-rock supergroup" (featuring refugees from Shrimp Boat, The Coctails, and Tortoise) into occasional limbo--this is only their third album since 1997. But it's those very activities that arguably inspired the Sea and Cake to record this vibrant, often sublime collection. Colored by a seductive cocktail of influences that includes Brazilian jazz and arty kraut-rock textures, with singer-songwriter Sam Prekop's breathy vocals a much less precious take on Michael Franks's, the 10 tracks on One Bedroom are a masterly exercise in restraint, subtle sophistication, and melodic playfulness. Prekop's über-cool delivery takes center stage throughout, whether it's playing against jazzy, electronic-infused backdrops on standouts like the dreamy "Left Side Clouded," the nervous rhythms of "Hotel Tell," the breezy ambitions of "Shoulder Length," or the spare beauty of the title track. It's an album whose languorous jazz-pop dares defy deconstruction, and one that glides toward the future with a clean, well-defined sound several musical strata removed from its members' alt-rock roots. --Jerry McCulley, Amazon.com

Solo careers and outside interests halted the Sea and Cake's momentum late in the '90s, but each time the quartet returns it's a boon for anyone who enjoys clean, efficient indie rock - a potential fan base ranging from Saint Etienne to Lambchop to Belle & Sebastian. Only the band's second record in the past five years, One Bedroom updates a previously trademarked sound only slightly; the usual drum shuffles are occasionally replaced by the indie version of a dance beat (usually an under-performing drum machine or samples), while Sam Prekop refines his breathy, upper-register vocals and abstract songwriting with an eye to pop music. The opener, "Four Corners," sets it off with a special grace, floating in on a wave of sublime synth atmospherics reminiscent of late-'70s Cluster, while the tidiest rhythm section in indie rock (bassist Eric Claridge and drummer John McEntire) paves the way for a breezy Prekop vocal that would have sounded fragmentary and undeveloped in the context of any other band, but is pure brilliance here. "Left Side Clouded" is similarly charming, beginning with neat acoustic strumming framed by an angular bassline and ending in a restrained guitar flameout. The highlight "Shoulder Length" is a perfect record for a crisp spring day, synths and guitar feedback humming like bees over a bouncy, swinging beat. While the accompaniment is always thoughtful and inventive, Prekop's vocal idiosyncrasies tend to be a double-edged sword, delightful on the good songs but only accentuating the dreariness of failed experiments like "Le Baron" or "Try Nothing." Fortunately, those moments are few and far between; the group sounds supremely confident throughout One Bedroom, even indulging in a rare cover for the closer, David Bowie's icy "Sound & Vision," a perfect fit. (John Bush, AMG)

Through years of scientific testing and intellectual deduction, I have come to realize that are essentially three audiences for music reviews. The first group is the diehard fans that are going to buy the record no matter what, but are curious to read what the critics think. Group one will respond to reviews with a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing their love of the band is shared by others, or with fierce feelings of indignation that prompt immediate reprisal through letters to the editor. Group two is comprised of the casual fans that own an album or two by the band, and are wary about running and purchasing another. Group three are the people who have heard of the band, but never actually heard them. These are the people who have seen that the band being reviewed has been name-checked by bands they like or by friends of theirs who have good taste in music. In response to these audiences, critics often try to write for at least two out of three, knowing that to truly satisfy all groups they’d have to write a tome that no one would want to read. However, in an attempt to do something revolutionary, I am going to attempt to satisfy all groups. Simply find your group in bold, read the review and skip the rest.
Group 1 (Diehard Sea and Cake fans): While One Bedroom is certainly a worthy follow up to 2000’s Oui, it is not one of their best albums. One Bedroom follows down the path of breezy, slightly electro, jazzy pop that the group has been perfecting since The Fawn. Although this will not stand out as a landmark in the quartet’s cannon, it is a worthy addition to any fan’s collection.
Group 2 (Casual Sea and Cake Fans): Chances are your feelings about One Bedroom can be decided on whether or not you like the path the group has taken ever since 1995 when they released The Fawn. It was that album that showed the group moving away from the more straight-up jazz and jam elements of their self-titled debut and its follow up, Nassau, towards a more electronic, breezier sound. The quartet seemed to perfect their new sound on their last album, Oui, and like a true craftsmen on One Bedroom, they seem intent on honing their sound. From the dreamy opening of "Four Corners", which features a Stereolabish backbeat, it’s clear the Cake are not interested in experimentation. "Hotel Tell" has the group flexing some of thier more ambient sound muscles before the song breaks into the closest thing the band has ever come to producing a dance track. "Interiors" is another highlight as the group drifts towards what My Bloody Valentine might sound like if someone stripped them of their feedback. The album closes with a cover of David Bowie’s "Sound and Vision" giving listeners a glimpse of what the world might sound like if it were all filtered through the Sea and Cake. Not an essential album, but a worthy album to your collection none-the-less.
Group 3 (Newcomers): The Sea and Cake have always seemed to serve as the lighter side of Chicagos’ Thrill Jockey scene. While standard bearers Tortoise are celebrated for their technical precision, odd time changes, and techno/jazz hybrids, the Sea and Cake are revered for their whimsical pop leanings. In some ways, the Sea and Cake are the yin to Tortoise’s yang. Even their name, derived from a mispronunciation of a Gastr Del Sol song, implied lighter leanings. Perhaps because of that, every new Tortoise release is greeted with magazine covers and writers wondering if they will produce Pete Townshend’s celebrated Hidden Chord, while the Sea and Cake seem to be more name checked in other people’s articles. At the same time, all of the Sea and Cake’s releases have been stellar, garnering warm responses from a dedicated following.
The Sea and Cake’s self-titled debut, released in 1994, served as a blueprint to the lighter side of the instrumental/math rock/nu-jazz sound, all topped by Prekop’s summertime voice that seems as if it was created with the sole purpose of fronting this group. The supergroup, comprised of ex-Shrimp Boat frontman Sam Prekop and bassist Eric Claridge, Tortoise drummer and producer du-jor John McEntire, and guitarist and noted singer/songwriter Archer Prewitt, has spent almost a decade honing its style. The group’s sound has metamorphasized from early standout singles like "Jacking the Ball", "Bring My Car I Feel to Smash It", and "Parasol" to a more fluid, album-oriented one. In 1997 they released The Fawn which showcased a substantial electronic influence. Two Gentleman, an EP of re-mixes, followed, showing that the band’s new style was here to stay. The group hit their nadir on Oui, released in 2000, as they cemented the sound they had been searching for from the beginning.
In 2002 the group is intent on honing their craftsmanship with One Bedroom. The album opens with the dreamy strumming of "Four Corners", displaying why the group makes such excellent lazy spring morning music. The record proceeds through a run of upbeat numbers that are awash in blips, gurgles and synthesizer manifestations. On "Hotel Tell", the group dares to bust a move, turning out what could easily be called their most danceable number. Not that the coffee-time devotees have anything to worry about, as it would be impossible to imagine even that track seeing the inside of a club. On "Left Side Clouded", Prekop sings, "We reject the timing, it’s not so bad, just misplaced." While I’m sure it wasn’t his intent (most of his lyrics are purely train of thought ramblings), the line somewhat represents why the Sea and Cake stand out from their brethren; rather than getting bogged down in intricacies, they concentrate on the beauty of the song. "Interiors" is another highlight as the group drifts towards what My Bloody Valentine might sound like if someone stripped them of their feedback. The album closes with a cover of Bowie’s "Sound and Vision", giving listeners a glimpse of what the world might sound like if it were all filtered through the Sea and Cake.
If you are hearing the Sea and Cake for the first time, their self-titled debut and Oui are by far more essential albums. However, this is not a bad way to get introduced to a style of music that will wrap itself around you like the comfort of a day spent staring at the clouds wondering about the possibilities of life. (Adam Dlugacz, popmatters.com)

Sam Prekop's Voice and I are hanging out at the Lincoln Park Zoo, watching the penguins, for they are hilarious. We're having a good day-- it's sunny out, the wind off the lake isn't unbearable, and we're gonna hit up Gino's East later-- but there's an ulterior reason I brought Sam Prekop's Voice out here. I have something to say to Sam Prekop's Voice, and I have to get it off my chest.
Sam Prekop's Voice and I go way back, and we've had some great times together. I might've missed those years with Shrimp Boat-- hey, I was young, what can I tell you?-- but along with Tortoise, The Sea and Cake was there to help me feel like I was down with the city whose suburbs I haunted during my formative years. Tortoise was the post-rock figurehead, of course, but I always felt a bit more affinity for The Sea and Cake. Even though the two bands only shared one member, The Sea and Cake always seemed like Tortoise's pop spin-off, and, pop fan that I am, I dug it.
The Sea and Cake has since become a downright staple of indie rock, spreading six albums out over a ten-year career. Things seemed to be getting better, too: 2001's Oui was the band's most consistent album, the fullest realization of their deceptively creative, soft-rock sound. Sam Prekop's Voice has been growing in confidence the whole time, appearing higher and higher in the mix, embracing a unique sort of breathy rasp that nicely complemented Oui's winter-by-the-Lake ambience.
The Sea and Cake's sixth record is a good one, showing the band isn't running willy-nilly from the sinking post-rock ship, instead subtly incorporating the electronic dance-beats that have inched back into the indie vocabulary. One Bedroom launches with a thick instrumental jam ("Four Corners") that proves the band remain technically sharp as knives; Eric Claridge's tuneful bass leads the charge over percussive guitars and John McEntire's constantly shape-shifting drums. Yet, I turn now to face Sam Prekop's Voice, and realize that it must be said:
"I don't know, SPV, I think you might've gone too far on One Bedroom. Voice, my friend, when you come in mixed higher than ever, after three minutes of solid white-boy groove, it's a lot for a man to take. I'm not sure where that windy timbre comes from-- sucking Camels, monoxide, Sharpies-- and I'll grant you it's distinctive, but it's also terribly limiting, with a range so narrow, anyone with more than a couple Sea and Cake records has already heard all that you can do. On "Four Corners", even the music seems disappointed with you, each element of the jam slowly peeling off under your whisper-croon, and when you return at its close, you're defeated, subdued.
"It's sad that you've become such an obstacle, SPV, since on One Bedroom the band occasionally pumps out some of its best music yet. Like Richard Pryor in Superman 3, recent Tortoise tracks (i.e. "CTA", off Chocolate Industries' Urban Renewal comp) had McEntire's rhythms pumped in the studio, and he brings that increased machinery to this album. "Hotel Tell" hinges on a throbbing bass drum and some decorative handclaps, and they augment the beat in "Shoulder Length" with a toy-box full of buzzes and clicks. Keyboards abound like never before on a Sea and Cake record, de-emphasizing the signature hard-rhythm guitar and-- miraculously-- deposing the vibraphone. My word, has Chicago finally put away the mallets?
"It wouldn't be entirely fair to lay all the blame at your, um, feet, Sam Prekop's Voice. One Bedroom also signals a return to the half-on/half-off inconsistency that marred all Sea and Cake albums except Nassau and Oui, as a handful of misfires trip up the flow. Songs like "Try Nothing", "Le Baron" and "Interiors" can't distract from the vocals, and fall over the lite-rock cliff, string, synths and all.
"It says something that the record's closer, a dolled-up cover of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision", is the most exciting track here. It's also the one that most covers up your limitations, SPV. Going all the way with those soft-rock keyboards, completely buying into the electronic drums, "Sound and Vision" also mixes in singing from the Aluminum Group's Navin Brothers. The result is a reasonable facsimile of what The Human League might've done with the song; it barely skirts the elevator music issue, ending up a sublime work of EZ-Indie.
"I mean, I feel like kind of an ass being this hard on you, to your face no less. A man can't help the way he sings, but you didn't always sound like this; I dug out the back catalog to make sure. Hey, look at trusty old Archer Prewitt over there, he's a damn fine singer in his own right. Calm down, SPV, all I'm saying is consider scaling it back a bit. It might be just the push The Sea and Cake need to evolve as a band, before you become water-treading caricature. C'mon, suck in that lower lip, let's get a pizza; I'm buying. You like pepperoni, right?" (Rob Mitchum, pitchforkmedia.com)

Sam Prekop's CDs always sport great packaging, even when the recorded material is less than compelling. One Bedroom's glossy cover features a crystalline shot of a misty Chicago morning, skyscrapers drenched in a heavy fog. The disc itself is colored in a perfect light-blue hue surrounded by abstract circular doodles. Feels like a cold, lazy day in Illinois, but the Sea and Cake do not provide enough energy with One Bedroom, their second full-length in five years, to melt the desolate cityscape.
The most recognizable, and ultimately frustrating, aspect of the group is Prekop's one-dimensional mike chops. They have always been an emotive, if not EMOtional, pop band. His indecipherable airy melodies define their sound, but his vocal range is extremely limited, and every word whispers in an art-school damaged sigh. This dramatic formula repeats ten times on One Bedroom, and it's only slighly refined. The Sea and Cake have presented the equation much more convincingly over their five previous albums.
One may ask, Who is Mr. Prekop's earliest musical reference point? Morrissey? David Bowie? Ian Curtis? No, it's probably Chet Baker, the original king of androgyny, who was wowing the uptown crowds long before Prince knew how to pronounce his own name. Baker controlled his smooth tenor cadence far better than Prekop, but it's no stretch to hear the natural progression. An even bigger secret powering this group is their mastery of the seventh chord. Not in recent memory has a band existed so completely in tribute to that sweet nugget between the major and the root fifth, beloved of sensitive crooners everywhere from Neil Young and Thom Yorke to Bacharach and Tom Jones. Nothing better expresses the conflicted feelings of angst and sentimentality that define the lives of the youth.
Each song is based around a short, agreeable, but ultimately spineless, guitar/drum machine riff, and though they bear attractive melodies, every track ends indistinguishable from the next. Problems begin with the three-minute instrumental intro to "Four Corners" -- the melody is decorative but tedious. Frilly and overproduced is pretty much the story for the entire album. "Left Side Clouded" has a great dramatic chord shift from pleasant to suspenseful, but the vocals and six-string strums still feel far too easy. The best part of this track is the distorted bass solo, serving as a distant reminder that two of these guys are in a better band called Tortoise.
The title track is another round, bubbly pop candy complimented by a complex bridge and breezy ruminations including "Someone got up early/ I don't know why." Slight bossa nova brushes flavor "Try Nothing" like Yo La Tengo's "Center of Gravity." So the Sea and Cake can sound inspired, but with an edgier side to balance the dry pleasant vibes, they might be a more involving band. Disco beats bump up "Hotel Tell," but the group sounds very tired, and the tune slides too easily through the digestive system. The Sea and Cake simply lacks the experimental spirit that makes Tortoise such a great group. Their songbook sounds more conservative than U2's, with a cover of Bowie's "Sound and Vision" and its fossilized synthesizers sitting a little ridiculous at the record's end. This album might make a great five-song EP, but I find it difficult to swallow so much digital sugar in one sitting.
If you didn't like the Sea and Cake before, you will certainly not like them now. Those who got a kick out of their other records may find this one to be another good chapter in their impressive decade-long story. The last album, Oui, was almost very good, but it still bore some of the easy-listening gloss that permeates One Bedroom. And Prekop performs a single musical drill very effectively, but he will have to branch out to save his group from the uniformity they skirt here. Though the graphic design team must be commended, this album is a thoroughly unexceptional run-through. The band manages to release one of these moderately successful exercises about every 18 months, and they certainly deserve recognition for such consistency, but does it have to sound so boring? (Patrick Coffee, prefixmag.com)

While 2000's Oui orchestrated pop sounds seemed like more of a collaboration between Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt, One Bedroom is more of a return to the highly structured, more modern songs of 1997's The Fawn, with John McEntire and Eric Claridge both having a much greater impact on the record than they did with Oui.
The Sea and Cake albums always start off with an amazing track, like "Sporting Life" on The Fawn and "Jacking the Ball" on their self-titled debut, and One Bedroom is no exception. However, "Four Corners" doesn't start the album with a chorus and a meaty hook, but rather an intense three-minute instrumental prelude. The repetition of the guitar builds the framework for the song, against which McEntire adds a bevy of accoutrement, including drum pitter-patterns, keyboard melodies, soft atmospherics, and the odd production flourish. When Prekop's vocals finally come in, you are fully ready and set for a super Sea and Cake album.
Much of One Bedroom is the perfect sister album to The Fawn (in other words, exactly what a lot of The Sea and Cake fans have been waiting for), however the two albums are not completely alike. While many songs on the album are highly structured, several songs are decidedly more loose and low key, sounding like Sam Prekop solo recordings with only minimal accompaniment added later during post production. "Le Baron" is a quiet song that gently lurches back and forth, Prekop's lyrics as high in the mix as they've ever been. Similarly, "Interiors" follows a very moderate pace for the first three minutes, Prekop singing with little more than a simple keyboard melody to accompany him. Songs like these are like daydreams, setting the mind free for a few minutes, and can be a welcome respite between the more uptempo songs.
The uptempo songs are bad-ass though! There songs that make you go "no, no, no, ...," shaking your head from left to right, and there are songs that make you go "yes, yes, yes,...," shaking your head up and down, and The Sea and Cake has at least two of each kind. "Shoulder Length" is one of The Sea and Cake's best songs and is a totally killer "yes, yes, yes" song. Feel the bounce? Yeah, it is great! "Mr. F" is great as well, but this time in the style of a "no, no, no" song. Feel the sway back and forth? Alright! The whole album is just really groovy, in the literal sense: Claridge's bass is alive and McEntire's percussion is highly active, giving the album a tight rhythmic core.
The album closes with "Sound and Vision," a David Bowie cover. Nothing against Bowie or Brian Eno, but placed behind nine decidedly modern sounding songs from The Sea and Cake, a recreation of Low-era Bowie sounds dated with its amped up 70s keyboards and over-processed guitar. The song does give the album a syrupy sing-along to close the album, Prekop joined by the Navins of The Aluminum Group, and it's an interesting choice of cover given Bowie is not the first artist I'd consider when thinking of The Sea and Cake or those previous nine tracks.
The artist I would first think of is Coloring Book-era Stevie Wonder: overflowing with soul, and an incredible rhythm section that's never in your face. As both mainstream and underground music leave soul music to the wayside for the pop sounds of "hip hop," The Sea and Cake are almost singlehandedly keeping it fresh and up-to-date. (Jim Steed, fakejazz.com)

Their first record in over two years finds them as innovative and vibrant as ever. Cutting guitar notes, melodic, propulsive, and rhythmic drumming, swirling synthesizers and distinct vocals that float in and out. While there are moments of transcendental bliss, the record retains an overall pop element throughout. Includes the Bowie cover 'Sound And Vision' with The Aluminum Group joining in. Thrill Jockey. 2002.

The Sea and Cake's sixth album, One Bedroom, is elegant pop. Membrane like layers of electronic tones, delicate synthesizers surround intricately woven guitars. Melodic bass lines punctuate these restrained and complex sounds. Songs are propelled by imaginative percussion lines and shaped by spare warm vocals. Prekop’s lyrical style is poetic as opposed to narrative. Paradoxically, the resulting album of delicate precisely constructed songs sounds effortless. One Bedroom is a beautiful collection of creatively constructed and singular pop songs.
After Eight years, the Sea and Cake lineup remains the same: Sam Prekop (vocals and guitars), Erik Claridge (bass), John McEntire (drums), and Archer Prewitt (guitar). Their musical vocabulary is greatly expanded by their other artistic pursuits. Erik Claridge has been working on a solo album as well as his continuing painting/ illustration career, part of which is a regular insert in the Chicago Reader. Archer continues to create his Drawn and Quarterly produced Sof’ Boy comics. Prewitt additionally released a solo album entitled Three. John has engineered numerous records in his own Soma Studio including- One Bedroom. McEntire has also managed to make time to start recording a new Tortoise album as well as play a collaborative performance at the Thalia Theater with Ikue Mori and Zeena Parkins. Sam Prekop, with whom most songs originate, has had several painting shows including a solo show at Clementine Gallery in Chelsea. Prekop has also continued to pursue photography, it is his photo on the One Bedroom cover. The Sea and Cake is a group of active individuals whose experiences add to its vibrant palette of sounds, tones, and textures.
The opening song "Four Corners", the title track, and "Mr. F" are signature Sea and Cake tunes. Prewitt and Prekop’s guitar interplay, swirling synthesizers and the melodic propulsive rhythms of McEntire and Claridge all delicately surround Prekop’s buttery vocals. Lyrics seemingly float on a delicate cloud of sound. Vocals take center stage with "Left Side Clouded" and "Try nothing ". The former broken up by surprisingly distorted guitar whilst the latter one of the few elements of this powerfully simple song that was programmed and recorded by Prekop in his home studio. The rhythms of "Hotel Tell" and "Le Baron" showcase McEntire’s programming prowess with their inventive rhythms and surprising sound selections. It is not surprising to see such choice analog synthesizer tones driving the vocals which are brought far more forward on One Bedroom than previous Sea and Cake recordings. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the record comes in their version of Bowie’s "Sound and Vision." The band actually started toying with the song some five years ago as the song is a group favorite. The version remains faithful the original yet has the distinctive Sea and Cake stamp of creatively and precisely placed tone and color, delicate guitar touches, and driving rhythms. Prekop’s warm vocals are filled out by the baritone vocals of the Aluminum Group’s Navin brothers. The carefully constructed recording floats along seemingly without effort. In his lyrics Bowie asks listeners "Don’t you wonder sometimes about sound and vision"? Sound, vision, and envisioning a new Pop sound are the Focus of the Sea and Cake’s imagination and considerable musical skills. One Bedroom gracefully illustrates why The Sea and Cake stand quietly alone in pop currents. (thrilljockey.com)

A busy slate of side projects seems to have cast this vaunted Chicago "post-rock supergroup" (featuring refugees from Shrimp Boat, The Coctails, and Tortoise) into occasional limbo--this is only their third album since 1997. But it's those very activities that arguably inspired the Sea and Cake to record this vibrant, often sublime collection. Colored by a seductive cocktail of influences that includes Brazilian jazz and arty kraut-rock textures, with singer-songwriter Sam Prekop's breathy vocals a much less precious take on Michael Franks's, the 10 tracks on One Bedroom are a masterly exercise in restraint, subtle sophistication, and melodic playfulness. Prekop's über-cool delivery takes center stage throughout, whether it's playing against jazzy, electronic-infused backdrops on standouts like the dreamy "Left Side Clouded," the nervous rhythms of "Hotel Tell," the breezy ambitions of "Shoulder Length," or the spare beauty of the title track. It's an album whose languorous jazz-pop dares defy deconstruction, and one that glides toward the future with a clean, well-defined sound several musical strata removed from its members' alt-rock roots. --Jerry McCulley, Amazon.com

Solo careers and outside interests halted the Sea and Cake's momentum late in the '90s, but each time the quartet returns it's a boon for anyone who enjoys clean, efficient indie rock - a potential fan base ranging from Saint Etienne to Lambchop to Belle & Sebastian. Only the band's second record in the past five years, One Bedroom updates a previously trademarked sound only slightly; the usual drum shuffles are occasionally replaced by the indie version of a dance beat (usually an under-performing drum machine or samples), while Sam Prekop refines his breathy, upper-register vocals and abstract songwriting with an eye to pop music. The opener, "Four Corners," sets it off with a special grace, floating in on a wave of sublime synth atmospherics reminiscent of late-'70s Cluster, while the tidiest rhythm section in indie rock (bassist Eric Claridge and drummer John McEntire) paves the way for a breezy Prekop vocal that would have sounded fragmentary and undeveloped in the context of any other band, but is pure brilliance here. "Left Side Clouded" is similarly charming, beginning with neat acoustic strumming framed by an angular bassline and ending in a restrained guitar flameout. The highlight "Shoulder Length" is a perfect record for a crisp spring day, synths and guitar feedback humming like bees over a bouncy, swinging beat. While the accompaniment is always thoughtful and inventive, Prekop's vocal idiosyncrasies tend to be a double-edged sword, delightful on the good songs but only accentuating the dreariness of failed experiments like "Le Baron" or "Try Nothing." Fortunately, those moments are few and far between; the group sounds supremely confident throughout One Bedroom, even indulging in a rare cover for the closer, David Bowie's icy "Sound & Vision," a perfect fit. (John Bush, AMG)

Through years of scientific testing and intellectual deduction, I have come to realize that are essentially three audiences for music reviews. The first group is the diehard fans that are going to buy the record no matter what, but are curious to read what the critics think. Group one will respond to reviews with a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing their love of the band is shared by others, or with fierce feelings of indignation that prompt immediate reprisal through letters to the editor. Group two is comprised of the casual fans that own an album or two by the band, and are wary about running and purchasing another. Group three are the people who have heard of the band, but never actually heard them. These are the people who have seen that the band being reviewed has been name-checked by bands they like or by friends of theirs who have good taste in music. In response to these audiences, critics often try to write for at least two out of three, knowing that to truly satisfy all groups they’d have to write a tome that no one would want to read. However, in an attempt to do something revolutionary, I am going to attempt to satisfy all groups. Simply find your group in bold, read the review and skip the rest.
Group 1 (Diehard Sea and Cake fans): While One Bedroom is certainly a worthy follow up to 2000’s Oui, it is not one of their best albums. One Bedroom follows down the path of breezy, slightly electro, jazzy pop that the group has been perfecting since The Fawn. Although this will not stand out as a landmark in the quartet’s cannon, it is a worthy addition to any fan’s collection.
Group 2 (Casual Sea and Cake Fans): Chances are your feelings about One Bedroom can be decided on whether or not you like the path the group has taken ever since 1995 when they released The Fawn. It was that album that showed the group moving away from the more straight-up jazz and jam elements of their self-titled debut and its follow up, Nassau, towards a more electronic, breezier sound. The quartet seemed to perfect their new sound on their last album, Oui, and like a true craftsmen on One Bedroom, they seem intent on honing their sound. From the dreamy opening of "Four Corners", which features a Stereolabish backbeat, it’s clear the Cake are not interested in experimentation. "Hotel Tell" has the group flexing some of thier more ambient sound muscles before the song breaks into the closest thing the band has ever come to producing a dance track. "Interiors" is another highlight as the group drifts towards what My Bloody Valentine might sound like if someone stripped them of their feedback. The album closes with a cover of David Bowie’s "Sound and Vision" giving listeners a glimpse of what the world might sound like if it were all filtered through the Sea and Cake. Not an essential album, but a worthy album to your collection none-the-less.
Group 3 (Newcomers): The Sea and Cake have always seemed to serve as the lighter side of Chicagos’ Thrill Jockey scene. While standard bearers Tortoise are celebrated for their technical precision, odd time changes, and techno/jazz hybrids, the Sea and Cake are revered for their whimsical pop leanings. In some ways, the Sea and Cake are the yin to Tortoise’s yang. Even their name, derived from a mispronunciation of a Gastr Del Sol song, implied lighter leanings. Perhaps because of that, every new Tortoise release is greeted with magazine covers and writers wondering if they will produce Pete Townshend’s celebrated Hidden Chord, while the Sea and Cake seem to be more name checked in other people’s articles. At the same time, all of the Sea and Cake’s releases have been stellar, garnering warm responses from a dedicated following.
The Sea and Cake’s self-titled debut, released in 1994, served as a blueprint to the lighter side of the instrumental/math rock/nu-jazz sound, all topped by Prekop’s summertime voice that seems as if it was created with the sole purpose of fronting this group. The supergroup, comprised of ex-Shrimp Boat frontman Sam Prekop and bassist Eric Claridge, Tortoise drummer and producer du-jor John McEntire, and guitarist and noted singer/songwriter Archer Prewitt, has spent almost a decade honing its style. The group’s sound has metamorphasized from early standout singles like "Jacking the Ball", "Bring My Car I Feel to Smash It", and "Parasol" to a more fluid, album-oriented one. In 1997 they released The Fawn which showcased a substantial electronic influence. Two Gentleman, an EP of re-mixes, followed, showing that the band’s new style was here to stay. The group hit their nadir on Oui, released in 2000, as they cemented the sound they had been searching for from the beginning.
In 2002 the group is intent on honing their craftsmanship with One Bedroom. The album opens with the dreamy strumming of "Four Corners", displaying why the group makes such excellent lazy spring morning music. The record proceeds through a run of upbeat numbers that are awash in blips, gurgles and synthesizer manifestations. On "Hotel Tell", the group dares to bust a move, turning out what could easily be called their most danceable number. Not that the coffee-time devotees have anything to worry about, as it would be impossible to imagine even that track seeing the inside of a club. On "Left Side Clouded", Prekop sings, "We reject the timing, it’s not so bad, just misplaced." While I’m sure it wasn’t his intent (most of his lyrics are purely train of thought ramblings), the line somewhat represents why the Sea and Cake stand out from their brethren; rather than getting bogged down in intricacies, they concentrate on the beauty of the song. "Interiors" is another highlight as the group drifts towards what My Bloody Valentine might sound like if someone stripped them of their feedback. The album closes with a cover of Bowie’s "Sound and Vision", giving listeners a glimpse of what the world might sound like if it were all filtered through the Sea and Cake.
If you are hearing the Sea and Cake for the first time, their self-titled debut and Oui are by far more essential albums. However, this is not a bad way to get introduced to a style of music that will wrap itself around you like the comfort of a day spent staring at the clouds wondering about the possibilities of life. (Adam Dlugacz, popmatters.com)

Sam Prekop's Voice and I are hanging out at the Lincoln Park Zoo, watching the penguins, for they are hilarious. We're having a good day-- it's sunny out, the wind off the lake isn't unbearable, and we're gonna hit up Gino's East later-- but there's an ulterior reason I brought Sam Prekop's Voice out here. I have something to say to Sam Prekop's Voice, and I have to get it off my chest.
Sam Prekop's Voice and I go way back, and we've had some great times together. I might've missed those years with Shrimp Boat-- hey, I was young, what can I tell you?-- but along with Tortoise, The Sea and Cake was there to help me feel like I was down with the city whose suburbs I haunted during my formative years. Tortoise was the post-rock figurehead, of course, but I always felt a bit more affinity for The Sea and Cake. Even though the two bands only shared one member, The Sea and Cake always seemed like Tortoise's pop spin-off, and, pop fan that I am, I dug it.
The Sea and Cake has since become a downright staple of indie rock, spreading six albums out over a ten-year career. Things seemed to be getting better, too: 2001's Oui was the band's most consistent album, the fullest realization of their deceptively creative, soft-rock sound. Sam Prekop's Voice has been growing in confidence the whole time, appearing higher and higher in the mix, embracing a unique sort of breathy rasp that nicely complemented Oui's winter-by-the-Lake ambience.
The Sea and Cake's sixth record is a good one, showing the band isn't running willy-nilly from the sinking post-rock ship, instead subtly incorporating the electronic dance-beats that have inched back into the indie vocabulary. One Bedroom launches with a thick instrumental jam ("Four Corners") that proves the band remain technically sharp as knives; Eric Claridge's tuneful bass leads the charge over percussive guitars and John McEntire's constantly shape-shifting drums. Yet, I turn now to face Sam Prekop's Voice, and realize that it must be said:
"I don't know, SPV, I think you might've gone too far on One Bedroom. Voice, my friend, when you come in mixed higher than ever, after three minutes of solid white-boy groove, it's a lot for a man to take. I'm not sure where that windy timbre comes from-- sucking Camels, monoxide, Sharpies-- and I'll grant you it's distinctive, but it's also terribly limiting, with a range so narrow, anyone with more than a couple Sea and Cake records has already heard all that you can do. On "Four Corners", even the music seems disappointed with you, each element of the jam slowly peeling off under your whisper-croon, and when you return at its close, you're defeated, subdued.
"It's sad that you've become such an obstacle, SPV, since on One Bedroom the band occasionally pumps out some of its best music yet. Like Richard Pryor in Superman 3, recent Tortoise tracks (i.e. "CTA", off Chocolate Industries' Urban Renewal comp) had McEntire's rhythms pumped in the studio, and he brings that increased machinery to this album. "Hotel Tell" hinges on a throbbing bass drum and some decorative handclaps, and they augment the beat in "Shoulder Length" with a toy-box full of buzzes and clicks. Keyboards abound like never before on a Sea and Cake record, de-emphasizing the signature hard-rhythm guitar and-- miraculously-- deposing the vibraphone. My word, has Chicago finally put away the mallets?
"It wouldn't be entirely fair to lay all the blame at your, um, feet, Sam Prekop's Voice. One Bedroom also signals a return to the half-on/half-off inconsistency that marred all Sea and Cake albums except Nassau and Oui, as a handful of misfires trip up the flow. Songs like "Try Nothing", "Le Baron" and "Interiors" can't distract from the vocals, and fall over the lite-rock cliff, string, synths and all.
"It says something that the record's closer, a dolled-up cover of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision", is the most exciting track here. It's also the one that most covers up your limitations, SPV. Going all the way with those soft-rock keyboards, completely buying into the electronic drums, "Sound and Vision" also mixes in singing from the Aluminum Group's Navin Brothers. The result is a reasonable facsimile of what The Human League might've done with the song; it barely skirts the elevator music issue, ending up a sublime work of EZ-Indie.
"I mean, I feel like kind of an ass being this hard on you, to your face no less. A man can't help the way he sings, but you didn't always sound like this; I dug out the back catalog to make sure. Hey, look at trusty old Archer Prewitt over there, he's a damn fine singer in his own right. Calm down, SPV, all I'm saying is consider scaling it back a bit. It might be just the push The Sea and Cake need to evolve as a band, before you become water-treading caricature. C'mon, suck in that lower lip, let's get a pizza; I'm buying. You like pepperoni, right?" (Rob Mitchum, pitchforkmedia.com)

Sam Prekop's CDs always sport great packaging, even when the recorded material is less than compelling. One Bedroom's glossy cover features a crystalline shot of a misty Chicago morning, skyscrapers drenched in a heavy fog. The disc itself is colored in a perfect light-blue hue surrounded by abstract circular doodles. Feels like a cold, lazy day in Illinois, but the Sea and Cake do not provide enough energy with One Bedroom, their second full-length in five years, to melt the desolate cityscape.
The most recognizable, and ultimately frustrating, aspect of the group is Prekop's one-dimensional mike chops. They have always been an emotive, if not EMOtional, pop band. His indecipherable airy melodies define their sound, but his vocal range is extremely limited, and every word whispers in an art-school damaged sigh. This dramatic formula repeats ten times on One Bedroom, and it's only slighly refined. The Sea and Cake have presented the equation much more convincingly over their five previous albums.
One may ask, Who is Mr. Prekop's earliest musical reference point? Morrissey? David Bowie? Ian Curtis? No, it's probably Chet Baker, the original king of androgyny, who was wowing the uptown crowds long before Prince knew how to pronounce his own name. Baker controlled his smooth tenor cadence far better than Prekop, but it's no stretch to hear the natural progression. An even bigger secret powering this group is their mastery of the seventh chord. Not in recent memory has a band existed so completely in tribute to that sweet nugget between the major and the root fifth, beloved of sensitive crooners everywhere from Neil Young and Thom Yorke to Bacharach and Tom Jones. Nothing better expresses the conflicted feelings of angst and sentimentality that define the lives of the youth.
Each song is based around a short, agreeable, but ultimately spineless, guitar/drum machine riff, and though they bear attractive melodies, every track ends indistinguishable from the next. Problems begin with the three-minute instrumental intro to "Four Corners" -- the melody is decorative but tedious. Frilly and overproduced is pretty much the story for the entire album. "Left Side Clouded" has a great dramatic chord shift from pleasant to suspenseful, but the vocals and six-string strums still feel far too easy. The best part of this track is the distorted bass solo, serving as a distant reminder that two of these guys are in a better band called Tortoise.
The title track is another round, bubbly pop candy complimented by a complex bridge and breezy ruminations including "Someone got up early/ I don't know why." Slight bossa nova brushes flavor "Try Nothing" like Yo La Tengo's "Center of Gravity." So the Sea and Cake can sound inspired, but with an edgier side to balance the dry pleasant vibes, they might be a more involving band. Disco beats bump up "Hotel Tell," but the group sounds very tired, and the tune slides too easily through the digestive system. The Sea and Cake simply lacks the experimental spirit that makes Tortoise such a great group. Their songbook sounds more conservative than U2's, with a cover of Bowie's "Sound and Vision" and its fossilized synthesizers sitting a little ridiculous at the record's end. This album might make a great five-song EP, but I find it difficult to swallow so much digital sugar in one sitting.
If you didn't like the Sea and Cake before, you will certainly not like them now. Those who got a kick out of their other records may find this one to be another good chapter in their impressive decade-long story. The last album, Oui, was almost very good, but it still bore some of the easy-listening gloss that permeates One Bedroom. And Prekop performs a single musical drill very effectively, but he will have to branch out to save his group from the uniformity they skirt here. Though the graphic design team must be commended, this album is a thoroughly unexceptional run-through. The band manages to release one of these moderately successful exercises about every 18 months, and they certainly deserve recognition for such consistency, but does it have to sound so boring? (Patrick Coffee, prefixmag.com)

While 2000's Oui orchestrated pop sounds seemed like more of a collaboration between Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt, One Bedroom is more of a return to the highly structured, more modern songs of 1997's The Fawn, with John McEntire and Eric Claridge both having a much greater impact on the record than they did with Oui.
The Sea and Cake albums always start off with an amazing track, like "Sporting Life" on The Fawn and "Jacking the Ball" on their self-titled debut, and One Bedroom is no exception. However, "Four Corners" doesn't start the album with a chorus and a meaty hook, but rather an intense three-minute instrumental prelude. The repetition of the guitar builds the framework for the song, against which McEntire adds a bevy of accoutrement, including drum pitter-patterns, keyboard melodies, soft atmospherics, and the odd production flourish. When Prekop's vocals finally come in, you are fully ready and set for a super Sea and Cake album.
Much of One Bedroom is the perfect sister album to The Fawn (in other words, exactly what a lot of The Sea and Cake fans have been waiting for), however the two albums are not completely alike. While many songs on the album are highly structured, several songs are decidedly more loose and low key, sounding like Sam Prekop solo recordings with only minimal accompaniment added later during post production. "Le Baron" is a quiet song that gently lurches back and forth, Prekop's lyrics as high in the mix as they've ever been. Similarly, "Interiors" follows a very moderate pace for the first three minutes, Prekop singing with little more than a simple keyboard melody to accompany him. Songs like these are like daydreams, setting the mind free for a few minutes, and can be a welcome respite between the more uptempo songs.
The uptempo songs are bad-ass though! There songs that make you go "no, no, no, ...," shaking your head from left to right, and there are songs that make you go "yes, yes, yes,...," shaking your head up and down, and The Sea and Cake has at least two of each kind. "Shoulder Length" is one of The Sea and Cake's best songs and is a totally killer "yes, yes, yes" song. Feel the bounce? Yeah, it is great! "Mr. F" is great as well, but this time in the style of a "no, no, no" song. Feel the sway back and forth? Alright! The whole album is just really groovy, in the literal sense: Claridge's bass is alive and McEntire's percussion is highly active, giving the album a tight rhythmic core.
The album closes with "Sound and Vision," a David Bowie cover. Nothing against Bowie or Brian Eno, but placed behind nine decidedly modern sounding songs from The Sea and Cake, a recreation of Low-era Bowie sounds dated with its amped up 70s keyboards and over-processed guitar. The song does give the album a syrupy sing-along to close the album, Prekop joined by the Navins of The Aluminum Group, and it's an interesting choice of cover given Bowie is not the first artist I'd consider when thinking of The Sea and Cake or those previous nine tracks.
The artist I would first think of is Coloring Book-era Stevie Wonder: overflowing with soul, and an incredible rhythm section that's never in your face. As both mainstream and underground music leave soul music to the wayside for the pop sounds of "hip hop," The Sea and Cake are almost singlehandedly keeping it fresh and up-to-date. (Jim Steed, fakejazz.com)