The Sea and Cake: at The Mercy Lounge (Nashville, TN) Fri. October 26, 2012

The Sea and Cake

NS2 presents

Nashville Scene Critic's Pick …

Any band that’s been together for 20 years must harbor some concern about growing up and mellowing out, right? Not so much for The Sea and Cake, whose laid-back nature has always been its strongest suit. Alumni of the fertile early-’90s Chicago scene that also birthed Jim O’Rourke and Tortoise, the quartet — Sam Prekop (vocals and guitar), Archer Prewitt (guitar), Eric Claridge (bass) and John McEntire (drums) — practically wrote the book on jazzy guitar pop that radiates late-afternoon calm. The band’s 10^th full-length, Runner, arrives on the heels of 2011 mini-album Moonlight Butterfly; Prekop’s 2010 all-electronic solo effort Old Punch Card; and reissues of six earlier LPs by longtime label Thrill Jockey. It’s as loose, experimental, lively and listenable as anything they’ve ever done. Never having bowed to the creative differences that kill many a lesser act, TS&C’s continued vitality challenges the notion that indie-rock bands aren’t built to last. Cool heads prevail, indeed.

—CHARLIE ZAILLIAN