bliss.
the sea and cake is an indie rock band from chicago, illinois, consisting of john mcentire (drums/percussion/production), archer prewitt (guitar/piano/vocals), and sam prekop (vocals/guitar), formed in 1994. they’re known for their jazz and bossa nova inspired take on rock, combining atmospheric pop and electronic noise with art-rock sensibilities. the name came from mishearing the title of a song by gastr del sol, “The C in Cake“.
“The Argument” is one of their standout tracks from their 1997 album the fawn. the same year, stereolab’s album dots and loops was released, which happened to be produced by mcentire. that’s actually how i discovered this band.
the main thing that stands about “The Argument” are the identical guitar and bass melodies, which drive the song and create a pleasant harmony alongside the energetic, intricate drums. the matching lines remind me a bit of sebadoh- “Ocean” is a good comparison. however, in this case, the dreamy, beachy guitar adds a little contrast to the stripped-down bass. besides the typical guitar/bass/drums, little electronic blips repeat throughout the song like the occasional punctuations of a ballgame organ. and the suave, relaxed vocals provide the icing on the cake (no pun intended). they have the same energy of a lazy 50s croon without necessarily being melodic.
“The Argument” lives up to the band’s name: it’s like a tea party by the italian seaside. like a tea party, it’s slow, comfortably repetitive, and comfortably transcendent. it has the same ethereal quality of “instrumental no. 2” by my bloody valentine or “The Flower Called Nowhere” by stereolab, which i reviewed here. that’s all i can really say about the song. for the five minutes it stretches across, i think it’s a good example of easy listening: pleasant to have in the background, but not necessarily full of depth. and hey, that’s just fine.
