Sunday, November 25, 2012

Seapony, Falling, 2012

Sunday Run Album Review

And the long holiday weekend comes to an end.  It started with a cathartic evening at The Stone Pony, and it proceeded through some lazy days during which I had the opportunity to give thanks, kick back, and take stock.  Today, I was ready for something comfortable.

"Comfortable" probably isn't the word I'd use to describe how I've felt on my last few runs, but today's running partners, Seattle's Seapony, have a sound that I always find comforting.  Falling is Seapony's second LP with Hardly Art Records, and it's a collection of reverb-heavy, dreamy, coastal pop.

The album opens with "Outside," which features Jen Weidl's airy vocals surrounded by Danny Rowland's rubber-bandy guitar.  The song follows a pattern common to most of the songs on the record:  a repeated riff or two supporting Weidl singing about longing, being alone, falling.  Because of this, Falling could have ended up as an unvaried collection of repetitive pop songs.  Subtle embellishments, though, work to keep things fresh.  There are the discordant sound effects following the first verse on "Tell Me So." "No One Will" is the album's standout track, and its increased tempo comes at just the right moment.  Seapony also throw in some nods to early influencers of dream pop with things like the post-punk, opening riff of "Prove to Me" and the Johnny Marr-style guitar of "See Me Cry."

There's no shortage of bands mining the same sounds as Seapony right now.  Listening to Falling, it's easy to be struck by similarities to bands like Cults, Real Estate, Tennis, and Eternal Summers.  A closer listen, though, reveals that Seapony are doing their own thing.  It's almost as if Seapony are such students of jangly, dreamy pop that they know just where to tweak it to make it their own.

And there's something in my personal make-up that makes me just love this stuff.  I could listen to it all day.  It's just so comfortable.







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