The Sea and Cake continue to fuse Bossa-Nova with rock on “The Moonlight Butterfly”. If you’ve heard of them before, this shouldn’t be a major shock. All of their albums have this great coasting feeling behind them. But if you’re new, they are pretty difficult to hate. Bright melodies, clean vocals, and a laid back vibe make them pretty wonderful. Considering how long they’ve been around for, it is amazing they have yet to falter heavily in their quality.
For me, the Sea and Cake is a comfort band. I go in knowing exactly what to expect. Various members of other Chicago-based bands make this a home away from home. Even the singer (Sam Prekop) has a solo outlet which holds us over during those few years between each album.
“Covers” instantly reassures me. The bass comes in along with those bright guitars. Some obscure law exists whereby The Sea and Cake can only release albums in the spring and summer. Every second of the album continues with their obsession of brightness and cheer.
Perhaps the biggest shock is “The Moonlight Butterfly”. Verging sharply from the rest of the album, it is purely electronic-keyboard based. Sure, you encounter electronics on The Sea and Cake records, but never an entire track dedicated only to them. Despite the electronic origins of the track, it doesn’t feel that out of the place with the rest of the album. Rather, it continues with the slow-paced tempo of the rest of the album.
“Inn Keeping” ends things off in a surprisingly epic scale. Generally speaking, The Sea and Cake keeps things short and sweet, proud purveyors of the pop tradition. For the finale, they sprawl into the ten minute range. The build reminds the listener of the band’s Post-Rock roots.
Overall, it is another welcome addition to The Sea and Cake’s slowly expanding discography.