Review Summary: It’s hard not to like this record, hell it’s not to like any indie-folk music when it’s adequately executed. On the other hand, it’s just as hard to take White Water seriously when it’s been done so similarly before and done better.
... so where did we leave off? Ah, that’s right! It was the year 2007 and Sea Wolf had just released their sophomore album Leaves In the River, to minor success and relatively neutral reviews. Hailing from Los Angeles, Sea Wolf plays mesmerizing indie folk; very well, in fact. Fast forward to 2009, and Sea Wolf is giving it another try. White Water, White Bloom is the band’s latest, and I was pleasantly surprised. Given some time to sink in, and White Water, White Bloom is the perfect background music for a fall morning.
Starting out incredibly strong is “Wicked Blood,” the engaging indie sun that everything else in the White Water solar system gravitates around. This is also about as “epic” as lead singer Alex Church utters, “These lines were here/ Long before we came around.” With percussion about as explosive indie folk music gets and a great piano line (think “Funeral-era Arcade Fire, “Wicked Blood” is far and away the best song Sea Wolf has created. The only downfall to this is that my hopes were very high for the rest of the album, which failed to live up to the opener.
If there was one thing that remained consistent throughout White Water, other than Church’s delightful vocals, it was the fact that I could not, as hard as I tried, stop comparing Sea Wolf to their predecessors and influences. The Arcade Fire reference has already been made, but I felt like I could name-drop an indie band in my description of every track. Instead of boring you with those- I’ll just get all of them out of the way now: Bright Eyes Earlimart Rooney The Shins Sufjan Stevens Wilco The Decemberists, phew. While Sea Wolf have created an enjoyable indie folk that shows noticeable potential, it’s been done before. Not just this, but it’s been done better. It’s a little tragic, because I feel like the instrumentation is superb, the natural imagery in the lyrics is a perfect fit, Church’s vocals complement the music well, and it creates a nice atmosphere. That being said, I felt like there isn’t enough creativity on here to separate it from a “good” album to be a “great” one.
Also, see how the review started out very positive and eventually got more and more negative? White Water, White Bloom mirrors this same style. Without an exception, White Water gets progressively worse after the title track. It’s hard not to like this record, hell it’s not to like any indie-folk music when it’s adequately executed. On the other hand, it’s just as hard to take White Water seriously when it’s been done so similarly before and done better.
Recommended Tracks:
Wicked Blood
Orion & Dog
O Maria!
White Water, White Bloom
