I’m not going to bullshit you and tell you I came into this album thinking it was going to be bad, or that I am totally unbiased in reviewing it. Take this review for what it is: a guy reviewing his second-favorite band’s new album.
It’s been said TSAC made one album, over and over (this being their 6th). If that’s the truth (it’s not, actually, but I see where that comes from), they have made a truly great album every time. It’s hard to believe a band can exist for ten years in the notoriously fickle indie/college radio scene while only making one album (although, Superchunk seems to have done it well).
With TSAC, you know what you are going to get. Sam Prekop’s vocals are as soothing as his guitar playing is idiosyncratic. Archer Prewitt’s guitars follow the Prekop’s and Eric Clardige’s bass playing is steady, melodic and prevalent. And of course, Chicago scene stalwart John McEntire’s production is as endless as ever (as is his drumming). On Oui, TSAC went back to their older, more bossa-nova roots. There was less of an electronic sound on the album.
One Bedroom combines the best elements of Oui’s simplicity and The Fawn’s Nintendo-music. The opener, “Four Corners” is especially liked by Mark Shelley, and is the most “post-rock” (a label TSAC only has because of their pedigree and not their sound) of all the album. “Four Corners” leaps into “Left Side Cloud,” which sounds like a faster song than TSAC has made in years (and faster does not mean worse).
“Shoulder Length” again goes back to the Fawn-ish electro beats and moves the best of the songs on the album. It’s mid-tempo keyboards and drum machine really make for a great compliment to Prekop’s voice. The title tack features the Prewitt/Prekop guitar compliments the best. The rhythm of their strumming works perfectly with McEntrie’s snare snaps.
“Hotel tell” goes straight to the Fawn’s keyboard drumbeats and builds on them. It’s a great song and one of the more accessible songs on the album. ”Interiors” has the makings of an instrumental, only with Prekop’s vocals drifting in and out.
While TSAC’s lyrics are generally meaningless (Prekops voice, it seems, is meant to just be another instrument, not some bearer of stupid love stories), “Hotel Tell”’s lyrics talk about landscapes, slow-motion and their aspects in life, and the “I’m bringing on my resignation, I’m sending on my validation“ is a really nice little line.
The weirdest song on the album is, of course, the cover of David Bowie’s “Sound and Vision.” Guest-vocalists The Aluminum Group accompany the boys on this one to produce a song that surpasses the original. Instead of Bowie’s anorexic voice, Prekop’s tones imbue the song with feeling. The drum machine again harkens back to the fawn, and the bass line sounds like something from Nassau. The keyboards accent the melody so well, it’s amazing. The song is a must-hear for any Bowie, Aluminum Group or TSAC fan.
Has TSAC made an album that will knock you off your feet? Probably not (at least, probably not if you’ve heard TSAC before). Is it one of the best albums of the year? It’s certainly the best of the 6 I’ve reviewed so far. But, it’s The Sea and Cake. You know what you’re going to get, and you get something incredible.
- Ross Gianfortune
