Nassau

Repressed on vinyl. Half a year after its fine self-titled debut, the sea and cake released Nassau. The album is a bit more muscular - the drums (played by Tortoise's John Mcentire) - are actually pummeled this time out. But the overall effect is still one of gentle hypnotism. The Cantina roars along with background chorus vocals, explosive organ and drum parts, and compelling (but difficult to decipher) vocals. Soft and Sleep may be the band's finest moment yet. Beautifully chiming guitars delineate just a few chords, but the Sea and Cake builds on top of this with gorgeous harmonics, leader Sam Prekop's singing, and the subtle tensions of fully-interlocking ensemble playing. Nassau was self-recorded, but this is no dashed off lo-fi project. These musicians know what they're doing, what they want, and how to achieve it. This is a great example of a follow-up record bettering an already impressive first album.

2LP - Pressed on colour vinyl for the first time (LP1 translucent blue, LP2 translucent green!) and packaged with a double sided insert and free download card