White Water, White Bloom | Sea Wolf

White Water, White Bloom, the second album released by Sea Wolf, was made in the wrong century. Lead singer Alex Brown Church warbles in such a sickeningly sincere way that it seems as though he longs for the days of romantic troubadours past. In the vein of any self-respecting 18th century lyric poet, Church’s songs touch on every possible angle of sensual naturalism, from the track “Dew in the Grass,”  which muses on the shining crystalization of water condensed upon the dominant vegetation of many areas of the world, to “Orion and Dog,” which soars into a full-blown mythological love story between two arrangements of gaseous spheres.

Joyce Lee’s orchestral cello arrangements, coupled with a relentlessly simplistic background piano and Church’s charismatic stylings will charm your pants off, without question. The only problem is that Sea Wolf draws unashamedly from every band born in the indie boom of the mid-2000s (Bright Eyes, Band of Horses, Arcade Fire, The Shins). There is almost no new sound coming out of White Water, White Bloom, but the tried-and-true stylings of LA pop-rock got popular for a reason, and Sea Wolf delivers with lush craftsmanship and a modicum of intelligence, as evidenced by their band name, culled from every English–major–cum–indie–rocker’s favorite depressed author, Jack London.
—Kate Barbaria

Other Truths | Do Make Say Think

The Toronto-based eight-piece band Do Make Say Think took their name from their first rehearsal in an elementary school gym, where the walls were labeled Do, Make, Say and Think. Playing post-rock, (which is a weirdly contentious term but generally refers to using rock instruments to play non-rock songs), the band has six albums under their belt, the most recent of which is Other Truths. The album gently tweaks DMST’s jazz-inflected style, with three of the four tracks running for more than ten minutes. The tracks are titled with the same string of verbs as the band, and each the four tracks brings a different ambience and locale to mind.

“Do” opens the album with guitar lines playing around and between each other as strings slowly build and static enters (and conquers) the mix. “Make” moves significantly slower and marks the first appearance of vocals in the band’s work. “Say”  brings slow pans across the prairies to mind, with slide guitar, trumpets, and the rumble of drums providing tension. “Think” brings us back home, slowly, laden with guitar and reverb.

Other Truths is a strong album from a terrific Canadian band; it’s a shame most people will use this as background music while they cook.
—Gerald Deo