12.18.07
Upon hearing the first thirty seconds or so of the latest from the boys in The Sea Navy, titled "Oh These Troubled Times", I began to worry I had gotten myself into another album filled with the stereotypical northwest indie-rock sound, and wasn't really sure how I felt about it at all. Luckily for me, I was pleasantly surprised shortly thereafter, as their sound began to evolve not only song to song, but inside each individual track as well. Their sound ranges everywhere from mellowed out soft acoustic indie to more upbeat guitar driven rock, almost reminiscent of Against Me. They seem to find a way to make a simple three man indie group feel like a much deeper and more complex full sound. Lyrically they seem to break from the mold (or at least what I expected of them) as well, which was certainly a nice little surprise. In fact, if I had to categorize "Oh These Troubled Times" in one short phrase, that's the exact wording I'd use: "a nice little surprise".
Songs like "Super Power Syndrome" are a perfect example of the band's ability to shift through and blend various genres as they push their way through a variety of stories and perceptions of the world and the people in it. The song starts off with a guitar/drum combination straight out of Gainesville. Just when I thought I had a grasp on the style of the song, the chorus hit, and I found myself bopping along to some keyboards that sounded like they were straight out of the late seventies, completely confused, but entirely content at the same time. The song "Avenue A" (which, coincidentally, is also by far my favorite on the album) begins with the same sort of Against Me-esque guitars, but stays on the mellower side, taking listeners through a story in the most melodic and well organized campfire style song I've ever heard. Part of what makes their songs so easy to listen to and follow along (aside from the aforementioned melodic nature and mellow, simplistic structure) is their ability to create a sense within the listener (or within myself at least) that they can relate to the lyrics. I'm not talking about relating to lyrics in a sense of understanding more simplistic emotions, but on a much broader, yet deeper level, of the journey through life and all the ups and downs in between.
Musically, it's hard to categorize this piece of collective work as anything in particular without lumping them into a more generalizing category such as "indie rock" but don't let the label fool you. Their ability to take simple songs and melodies and make them seem timeless and free of the boundaries of any typical indie band. Vocally sometimes I wasn't really sure what to make of certain songs, but as a whole I was pretty content with the sound and it certainly added more than it detracted from the overall sound of any given song. However, it seems that Jay Cox (vocals) doesn't really use his voice to its full potential, as I feel like I can hear a lot of hidden power and grit hidden underneath there. In total though, I was incredibly impressed with the the overall effort an sound in "Oh These Troubled Times" and look forward to hearing more from the Seattle boys, The Sea Navy.
Songs to keep an ear on: "Super Power Syndrome", "Avenue A", and "Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived".
Reviewed by: Brian Anderson
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