Oxnard's Sea Lions preps debut LP for Slumberland
STREAM: "Grown Up" -
http://blogs.kcrw.com/musicnews/2011/10/kcrw-premiere-sea-lions-grown-up/
STREAM: "Grown Up" -
http://blogs.kcrw.com/musicnews/2011/10/kcrw-premiere-sea-lions-grown-up/
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Sea Lions
When
Adrian Pillado formed Sea Lions in 2007, he wasn't really sure what it
would be. His influences were something of a musical snowstorm,
involving Crass, John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Orange
Juice, and K Records' flagship band Beat Happening. In the beginning, it
was just Adrian singing and playing guitar, with his best friend Pat
playing drums. Both had a history in Oxnard's D.I.Y. punk scene, but
something new was starting to happen in that town. A group of young kids
had been listening to a lot of K, Postcard, Sarah, Creation, and
(naturally) Slumberland records; new bands started forming, and bands
that were previously more into punk and noise started working in these
new influences. Maria's Eric Bellow started YAY! records to document the
Sound of Young Oxnard, and Sea Lions fit right in on the roster. The
early days of Sea Lions were a learning curve, Adrian and Pat crashing
and bashing their way through songs, often stumbling upon something
beautiful in the process. Still, something was missing; a full band?
more time to woodshed? They were always just teetering on the edge of
something great, but when would it come?
That
greatness came one night at the cooler than cool L.A. indie club Part
Time Punks. They had recently added a second guitarist, and a bass
player... and they killed. Adrian had really grown as a songwriter, the
songs were still shambolic, but they were also assertive and direct.
They were in a race to the end of each song, and were running that race
with swagger. They thrilled the full time punks in the crowd with a
cover of Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown," and wowed us Northern Soul
junkies with a downright saucy cover of the Freda Payne classic, "Band
of Gold." There was the exact point at which you could say, "Ladies and
gentlemen, Sea Lions!"
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sea Lions, But Were Afraid to Ask
is without question the next giant step forward for the band. A brief
instrumental intro gracefully leads you into the galloping proper album
opener, "I Should be Sleeping." The production throughout is
shimmering, and assured. Something as simple as the backing "oohs" on
the song "Grown Up," become transcendent. The use of toy piano at the
beginning of the song could easily be cloying, but instead feels
tasteful and necessary. And while that song talks about the familiar
indiepop theme of not wanting to grow up, elsewhere on the album they
reveal some very mature new facets of the band. Nowhere is this more
evident than what may be the album's strongest track "As Times Change."
While they do a wonderful job dabbling in minor keys and retro sounds
that seem perfect for a haunted sock hop throughout Everything...
, "As Times Change" reveals a confident band that knows how to mine
their record collections (particularly their 13th Floor Elevators, and
Love records) and turn all of those sounds into something entirely
their own. The much-noted Calvin Johnson-like flavor of Adrian's voice
is a great contrast to what has become a quite virtuosic band. Second
guitarist Matt, and drummer Javier come from the punk scene of Adrian's
youth, while bassist Kyle is a fervent Britpop fan, and often wears a
button with an image of Radiohead's Thom Yorke.
All
of this adds to the unique yet familiar sound that Sea Lions have
cleverly cultivated. Bustling with nervous energy and the desire to
communicate, Sea Lions share a sense of urgency with great pop
forebears like Subway Sect and Television Personalities -- earnestness
combined with pop knowledge and punk suss. What Sea Lions capture, where
so many young bands try and fail, is not simply the sound of young
Oxnard, it's the sound of youth everywhere. Bored, underemployed, and
wishing your life was something else. If there is any justice in this
world it will take them far.
Sea Lions
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sea Lions But Were Afraid To Ask
(Slumberland)
Street Date: Nov. 22, 2011
1. Intro
2. I Should Be Sleeping
3. Grown Up
4. Tell You
5. A Cloud
6. Look
7. Rainfall
8. I Don't Wanna Go Out
9. I Loved Her So Much
10. What's The Point?
11. Running In Circles
12. Untitled (Guitar)
13. My Girl
14. As Times Change
15. A Song For Your Smile
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