I'm never opposed to making time for a new record from The Sea and Cake. While they don't explore new territory, I'm never let down. Everybody is a once again welcome record to mark the end of the cold season, optimistically looking forward to more pleasant, brighter days.
Bassist Eric Claridge and drummer John McEntire create a firm, impenetrable rhythm backbone while vocalist/guitarists Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt pepper it with positive pleasantry. The Sea and Cake have defined their own brand of pop, creating uplifting tunes that don't sound out of place alongside the springier Stereolab and the more rocking Laika.
The effects of cold, grey, and windy North American cities can take their toll on people, and The Sea and Cake music makes for a great remedy. It's probably no accident that their albums arrive early on in the year, just as the blossoms are starting to come out. Everybody is no exception and I have found myself playing it often while keeping the windows open: even if it can still get a little cold outside I'm anxious for the warmth and brightness. "Up On Crutches" sets the album in motion from the beginning and the moderate pace continues almost seamlessly through "Too Strong," but the bold guitar riffage and hand claps on "Crossing Line" makes the first strong statement on the album, making for a great repeatable singalong song.
I'm always impressed at how efficient The Sea and Cake music is arranged. This 10 song collection takes up less than 40 minutes and the songs, while rich in arrangement and full of Prekop's lyrics, get right to the point and leave when they're done, or almost. While my personal fave on the album, "Lightning," stands out as one of the tunes that waits almost no time before jumping into the vocals, the following "Introducing" fades out a little prematurely for my liking. It makes me eager for the band to take only a slight more varied approach to their records. Instead of fading out, it would be something almost shocking if the band went and jammed on it for about three times as long.The album ends with the unusually (for them) slow and undeniably pretty ballad, "Transparent," accented with a sparkling acoustic guitar. Lyrics like "it's starting all over, the spring comes around" aren't prophetic but they do resonate with me at the end of the disc.
The most arresting aspect of Everybody is its lavish package: a digipack with a pocket that holds a meaty book of scribbled personal notes on graph paper along with some black and white photo reprints. The color white has always been a prominent feature with all their releases and while it's good to get away from that, the silvery grey theme, with black and white images inside of snow, geese, and urban landscapes, is a bit of a bleak contrast to the music. Regardless, this is a very mobile album which lends itself to portable devices, headphones for work, or for a good drive, so I doubt people will flip through the package much while it's playing.
I can't help but think it's time for The Sea and Cake to take another sidestep: perhaps another remix EP like the fantastic Two Gentlemen or the respectable Glass, but I'd be quite happy with a collection of all those pesky Japanese-only bonus tracks as well. For now, I'm satisfied with a summer-friendly album like Everybody, and have made plenty of use of it already.
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