The Moonlight Butterfly - The Sea and Cake (Thrill Jockey, 2011)
The Sea and Cake's latest, a mini-album by the ridiculous name of The Moonlight Butterfly, is exactly what I've come to expect of the band. I am not offended at all that the band's sounded hasn't changed all the much over their 15+ years of existence (aside from maturing). In fact, considering how vastly different The Sea and Cake sound from everyone else, I don't think any considerable changes were ever needed. Sure, these classy Chicago men have experimented more with synths and different musical cultures over the years, but the overall feel of their music has remained the same. All of this to say that, even though there are no drastic surprises here, The Moonlight Butterfly still might showcase the highest number of subtle ones out of any Sea and Cake release. Also, it is in no way their absolute best work, but I believe it to be their most mature. These songs are more wide open than usual: their structures are not as straightforward and their backgrounds are much more ambient. This might even be drummer/producer John McEntire's greatest work behind the board. That these recordings have a lot more atmosphere to them really lends itself to the mood of the record. Also, I'm loving the added jangle to all of lead vocalist Sam Prekop's guitars. While The Moonlight Butterfly probably isn't close to being my favorite release by The Sea and Cake, it is a long awaited and much appreciated follow-up to 2008's stellar Car Alarm, and "Lyric" and "Up on the North Shore" specifically are on par with the band's best songs from their more recent resurgence.
Go With Me - Seapony (Hardly Art, 2011)
Surprise, surprise. Seattle's Seapony are yet another band with jangly guitars, lo-fi production (much closer to mid-fi here, actually) and sunny/summery/surfy undertones. Are you getting tired of this brand of indie pop yet? I am, except when it's done well, like on Seapony's debut full length, Go With Me. Part of me thinks that there is nothing to these songs and a lot of the melodies are cheesy. But then again, half of them have been stuck in my head for the past three days straight. Seapony could easily be tossed aside as yet another twee or jangle pop revival band, but there are a few elements that take Go With Me above that. These songs are not blatantly in your face happy sounding. I mean, some of them are, but there are some nice moodier pieces too. Also, there is an undeniable 80s accent throughout the record in some of the guitar riffs and tones (a lot of it might have to do with the overwhelming presence of drum machine, too). Though I'll probably be done with them within a year, Seapony have wone me over for now. "Dreaming" and "Always" are excellent standout cuts that should be checked out immediately.
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