Too varied and smart to be merely retro, and with more than enough substance
beneath its smoothness, Cannibal Sea, by the Essex Green, is a superlative
example of left-field pop with folk roots. The third album from this Brooklyn-based
trio, with a
large number of contributing musicians, Cannibal Sea ought, in an ideal
world, to put the Essex Green
firmly on the map.
Centered on the voices of Jeff Baron, Sasha Bell and
Christopher Ziter, the group's sound incorporates chugging guitars,
swaths of vintage organ and great, stomping grooves, but most strongly
evokes the breeziness and burnished shine of '60s folk-pop. Unafraid to pile
on the layers when called for, they have come up with a very
bold-sounding record, but one with a sense of wistfulness, even
vulnerability, at its heart. With collaborative sound emphasized over band
identification and the group-as-gang idea sidestepped in favor of a less
constricting identity, the album reveals a broad stylistic span and
a keen sense of character, with lots of idiosyncratic charm.
Cannibal Sea is startlingly immediate. The jaunty, descending melody and
solid rhythm of "This Isn't Farm
Life" kick things off, swiftly followed by the gorgeous vocal harmonies
and taut-but-glossy riffing of "Don't Know Why (You Stay)." Rich and carefully
crafted, the overall sound has just enough going on to smooth off the edges while
retaining a measure of stridency to sharpen the sweetness. Of the three voices,
Sasha Bell's
stands out most vividly, with its contrasting combination of worldly appeal and
almost naive wonder. This is particularly evident on the sweeping, pure pop of "Snakes
in the Grass" and the gloriously low-key "Sin City," as affecting in its shy
beauty as the more overtly arranged tracks heard elsewhere. The slick
arrangements of "Rue De Lis" and "Penny & Jack," the Stereolab-style linear
keyboard-led groove and harmony vocals of "Cardinal Points," and the
sparsely arranged intimacy of "Rabbit" all show off the band's versatility.
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