The Sea and Cake - Everybody

Fans bank on the shimmering, gorgeous pop of the Sea & Cake, and 2007's Everybody will disappoint no one. There aren't any radical departures from the band's smooth, meticulously constructed brand of highbrow sonic candy, but Everybody bears less overt experimentation than previous efforts, placing the emphasis instead on pop hooks and arrangements that wash over the listener like waves. In fact, Everybody more closely resembles a 1970s soft-rock album than it does the music of, say, Tortoise (Sea & Cake drummer John McEntire's post-rock main squeeze). But Everybody is unmistakably an album made by first-rate musicians with a vision. Opener "Up on Crutches" is a sunny, bouncy tune that plays like a summer breeze. The fuzz guitar tones in "Crossing Lines" offset the breathy melody, while "Coconut" spins a plaintive tune against chimed notes. In short, the Sea & Cake make pleasurable pop for smart people, and Everybody--bright, sweet, and beautifully textured--is as pleasurable as anything they've done.