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THE SEA AND CAKE, "OUI"

What a boring album.
  And not boring in the good way, like Philip Glass' funwith monotony or Low's sublime minimilist architectonics or even StephinMerritt's clever zen-inflected loop songs (see his glorious THE HOUSE OFTOMMORROW ep) that prove repetition can be a dircet path to pop nirvana.Rather, Sea and Cake's new disc is all about the non-event: nothing happens,and nothing ever will happen. And as you sit there like a character in someexistential vaudeville skit, listening to its tastefully tedious keyboardsand drums and noodly guitars and breathy, indistinct vocals < for what seemslike an eternity < you'll suffer in paraysms of boredom. And wonder why thehell anyone who likes music actually likes this stuff. If this is thealternative to alternative rock, I think i'd rather listen to the airconditioner. Just say "NON!" to OUI. John McEntire fans will want to checkout the fine new Aluminum Group album, PELO, which shows his skills asperformer and producer to a fine advantage. The Navin boys have abandonedtheir fey, soft-rock ways for electroplated dance tracks, and McEntire is adefinite asset.