Shark Speed – Sea Sick Music
It’s unusual to think that the strange 90s nostalgic rock of Shark Speed could actually sound better than the original source material. It’s even more unusual to wonder who would want to recreate that era anyway. And yet their debut album ‘Sea Sick Music’ is crossing that fine line from the safety zone of generic indie rock into unknown waters. To those familiar, Sea Sick Music will sound similar to the mid 90s emo rock with a significant catch; it’s had over a decade to mature and improvise on.
The album wastes no time in making clear its intentions. The introductory song ‘Cast off Dance Off’ sounds like it could’ve been the 15th track to Sonic Youth’s 1994 album ‘Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star’. It starts with a horn inspired introduction before the guitar kicks in and takes over. The music retains a consistent verse-chorus template with a sprinkle of instrumental uniqueness with trumpets. The lyrical depth is measured through the band’s ability to point out the unmentionably obvious things of human nature through metaphors. An example of this is through the song ‘Seagulls’; “Because seagulls don’t fly alone and you can rely on these bones” True. Are humans similar in much of the same way? It’s simplistic in nature but as stated there’s depth for mental analysis. One of the most enjoyable tracks on the album is the energetic ‘I’m a Machine’. The chorus is catchy but it never becomes excessive. This tempo continues through until the tail end of the album. ‘Sea Sick’ and ‘Ten to Twenty Years’ somberly concludes the abrasive start and both contain the confessional characteristic that’s used to define the genre.
Part of the thrill on Sea Sick Music is that the simplest tweaks and adjustments can reinvigorate a dated sound. The album is by no means flawless, but it’s a solid debut. The quality of each song brings consistency to the record that even the best artists have a hard time maintaining. It’s also refreshing to see this level of polish on a debut album. The intricacies of this album provide an effort that is admirable and definitely worth the listen.
MP3:
Shark Speed – Ten to Twenty Years
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Must agree…. I checked this record out an its awesome!