Car Alarm [LP]

Spin (p.112) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Pristine set-opener 'Aerial' and the elegantly gliding 'on a Letter' jangle and chime with mathematical precision..." Alternative Press (p.155) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Post-rock inflections, electronic embellishments, artfully designed arrangements and time changes, and the sighing vocals and breathy phrasing of guitarist/vocalist Sam Prekop. True to form, the band deliver yet again on CAR ALARM." The Wire (p.68) - "The set is dominated by neat three and a half minute packages of semi-supercharged guitar pop." Mojo (Publisher) (p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The hot licks and cool groove of 'New Schools' are the whole record in microcosm, each play revealing subtle shades and a pleasure in the details." Clash (Magazine) (p.121) - "A technically accomplished bunch of breezy West Coast pop songs perfect to listen to when the sun is setting." Clash (Magazine) (p.87) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "CAR ALARM picks right up on the coiled grooves of its predecessor with heated opener 'Aerial' and 'Fuller Moon,' which brings a taut bounce into play." Signal To Noise (p.71) - "[T]hey sound as tight as they ever have, as if after 14 years of playing together the band has developed a kind of musical mind-meld."

Released 17 months after Everybody, a mere blink of an eye for this group of Renaissance men, Car Alarm represents an attempt by the Sea and Cake to be a working band -- for what may be the last time, what with family obligations to place among the vast array of outside interests. The album was written in a burst just after returning from an Australian tour, and recorded in a fairly quick span as well. The results seem to have refreshed this band of post-rock stalwarts, who may never need (or desire) a radical shift in sound, but should have already easily fallen prey to laziness -- an album where the adjective "workmanlike" becomes an insult rather than a compliment. Their brisk, efficient indie rock hasn't changed radically, but the insertion of an instrumental here and an electronics-heavy track there makes for needed counterpoint. The individual members of the quartet are still nearly telepathic in their group interplay; John McEntire's drums set the tone for each song while Eric Claridge's bass anchors the lower register, and the twin guitars of Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt scope out the higher frequencies. ~ John Bush

シカゴ音響派の重鎮が1年5か月ぶりに放つ通算8枚目のニュー・アルバムは、ロック色濃厚だった前作『Everybody』同様、直球勝負のバンド・サウンドを基軸としたもの。だが、トリッキーなビートやスティールパンによる音飾など、キレの良い変化球を不意に投げ込んでくるあたりに一筋縄ではいかない魅力を感じる。従来のラウンジーな雰囲気を残しつつも、進化することを厭わない姿勢はやはり凄い。
bounce (C)田中 幹也