The Sea & Cake - The Moonlight Butterfly

The Sea And Cake have always made consistently good records. For the past 20 years they've forged a truly unique sound that embraces elements of jazz, Afrobeat, Latin and electronica whilst maintaining a unique individualism. Ultra mellow whilst being reliably upbeat, they often remind me of a counterpart to the work of Stereolab but with the trappings of a hardworking Chicago jazz outfit. The line-up alone is worth shouting about. You've got Tortoise head honcho and Soma Studios owner John McEntire on drums and synths, awesome illustrator Archer Prewitt on guitar, vocalist/guitarist Sam Prekop, whose recent solo outing 'Old Punch Card' showcased his mad versatility for electronics, and my all time favourite bass player Eric Claridge. Love this band and I couldn't say enough kind things about them. They play with a tasteful subtlety most bands could only dream of and though they rarely stray from their well formulated approach they come up with consistently interesting reinterpretations of their own ideas that are always worth a listen. Especially like the title track that sees the group finally let go on the electronics side to deliver a tranquil Kosmische inspired space jam with some beautiful use of arpeggio's. Not entirely surprising considering Prekop's work on 'Old Punch Card' and Tortoise's fascination with the mighty synthesizer but a pleasant surprise nevertheless. Amazing album. Great guys. Buy buy buy!