The partnership between Sam Prekop and John McEntire is an odd one, reminding
me somewhat of the collaboration between John Coltrane and singer Johnny
Hartman on their classic six song album of ballads. Not to compare the
merit or importance of the pairs, but in each case, on one side you have a
warm, soulful voice, and on the other you have an avant instrumentalist.
In the past, when both sets got together, the singer won out, the music just
there to accompany the mood, words, and inflection of the voice. In a lot of
ways, that is why The Fawn was such a landmark album for The Sea and Cake, as
it represented the first time in the band's history that the trademark
production and instrumentation of McEntire, that sound that pretty much
defined post-rock, got equal billing with Prekop's vocals and soul/pop vibe,
separating the band's sound more definitively from Prekop's previous band
Shrimp Boat.
While The Fawn is strong enough to be considered a classic album in independent
rock, it has always seemed as if Sam Prekop, while satisfied with the music,
was not fully satisfied with that direction for the band. His self-titled
solo album seemed very much a reaction to that, its timing leaving very little
opportunity for John McEntire's input, instead Prekop recording and working
with Jim O'Rourke during The Sea and Cake's three year hiatus. That hiatus
is now over, and Oui, the followup to The Fawn, seems to be more closely
aligned with The Sea and Cake's first three albums than The Fawn, showing more
of Prekop's vision than a combination of his and McEntire's. In fact,
the album seems to have more in common with Archer Prewitt's solo albums and
their orchestrated 70s pop feel than the 90s electronics of The Fawn, the band
adding string and horn sections to several songs but keeping the electronics
fairly minimal.
An interesting side effect to the lesser importance of McEntire's production
is the lesser importance of Eric Claridge's bass, its fluidity and constant
presence previously always being one of the highlight's of the band's sound.
Seeing as Claridge is also a carry over from Prekop's Shrimp Boat, it seems
natural that the return of The Sea and Cake to a more Shrimp Boat-like sound
would not affect Claridge, but on Oui, his bass is more reserved, buried
deeper into the mix, and playing shorter patterns. All these differences are
minor though, as the Oui version of The Sea and Cake still has a similar look
and feel, if not entirely in sound, to all prior versions.
And The Sea and Cake still looks and feels magnificent. Prekop's voice,
always sounding like he had just consumed an entire pot of Sleepytime tea,
is the heart of Oui's songs, his backing vocals (backing himself) sometimes
being just as important an instrument as Prewitt's guitar. His voice could
carry much lesser musicians, but with McEntire's percussion, vibes, and
marimba, Claridge's bass, and Prewitt's guitar, the band is an outstanding
combination of talent.
A drawback to the album, though, is that it lacks the definitive pop
song--the song that would rule a better, more just world--that prior albums
did have, like "Jacking the Ball" on their self-titled album or "Sporting
Life" on The Fawn. None of these songs stick out that much, so much that
the repeat button on your stereo becomes a necessity instead of a waste of
plastic, but there are definite standout tracks. The best is "Midtown"
where McEntire's bouncing marimba plays along with the melody of Prekop's
vocals in his standardly original delivery against Prewitt's best guitarwork
on the album. Maybe not definitive, but, along with "All the Photos" and
"Two Dolphins," fairly close to pure bliss.
Oui might not make as prominent a use of the John McEntire sound as The Fawn,
and it may not have the definitive pop song. However, the album still
moves you; the increased use of orchestration marks a new diversion in the
band's consistent and wonderful sound, making Oui a subtle, interesting
change from the norm but still a piece of the whole.
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