Reading this band’s description makes me happy right off the bat. Influenced by Yeasayer and M83? Based in Jacksonville, Florida? How can anything but something good emerge from this?
I went into this record expecting another run of the mill dream pop project, even though I suspected I’d enjoy it. Psych dream pop is a genre that can be a bit harder for yours truly to navigate, but that can be part of the fun. Sea Cycles fortunately knows how to make this trip a fun one, and negate the need for hallucinogens or other sensory enhancement substances.
Listening to this record makes me think of a dream I had years and years ago. I don’t really remember the plot, but I remember the emotions very vividly. I was 6 or 7 years old and on vacation in southern Florida with my family. Now, Jupiter Florida to a small child feels like paradise. So my senses were heightened anyway. This might have been a year that I got sick down there as well – I remember being made chamomile tea and drinking it on the floor, while recalling this dream. Fevers result in some pretty weird dreams, so the feeling I had was a mixture of disquieting surreal vibes and a floating, dreamy feeling that was just shy of contentment. This was a very distinct emotion and memory. I remember the dream feeling like I was in the middle of the Optical Illusion Reading Rainbow episode and then transitioning into something indistinct.
Anyway, listening to this record is kind of like that dream.
It’s not until the very last song, “A Small Nook,” where I finally feel 100% comfortable with the album. I think it’s because I have a sense of the whole picture now – Ground and Air is meant to be listened to from front to back. It is one piece of music.
There are moments that are shrill (“IDKIDKIDK”) and moments that aren’t like the aforementioned finale. Moments derive from specific bands, whether consciously or not I’m not sure. But I hear bits of Radiohead, Way Yes and Youth Lagoon in here. If I had to choose one artist for a Sea Cycles “Recommended If You Like” column, it would be Youth Lagoon. This album sounds like a relative of both The Year of Hibernation and Wondrous Bughouse.
Sit on your porch, turn on some Sea Cycles and see what happens. I dare you.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/188704334″ /]
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