Sea Wolf
Get to the River Before it Runs too Low
by Adam Toth
07.15.07
Sometimes I wonder why bands release EPs instead of full albums. There are usually a few basic reasons: they didn’t have enough songs for a full length, they wanted to release a “single” independently of the full album and throw in a few b-sides to make for a pre-release EP, or that they’re just starting out as a band and want to focus on just a few songs and make sure they sound as impressive as possible and show no weakness. I’m going to go with the latter, because, otherwise, Sea Wolf should be definitely releasing a full length.
Get to the River... is one of the better EPs I’ve heard in a very long time. It’s probably my favorite since I reviewed Joemca in the winter. Each song follows a similar sound, but also varies just enough to keep them from drowning together. I’m a sucker for a good songwriter, and Sea Wolf has caught my attention. Probably the only negative to this album is how friggin’ short it is. For a band this good, only be able to listen to them for less than 20 minutes is a killer. You’ll just want it to keep going and end up cursing out the band that you were just praising. That’s why I can only hope this is a sign of things to come.
Another little thing I’d like to point out / got a kick out of is Sea Wolf’s quirky little wolf obsession. The first song in the debut EP, "You’re a Wolf," might be a good example of that. It’s actually a great song, meaningful, and especially perfect for an intro song, but I still can’t help but chuckle when the line is delivered “You’re a wolf, boy.”
With the exception of the wolf reference in not only their songs, but their MySpace page as well, Sea Wolf is nothing of a joke. This band is for real, and their songs are not only very moving but painted with a stroke of artistic genius. In fact, I hesitate to write anymore because I don’t feel I’ll do this band justice, but trust me in that Sea Wolf belongs on your CD shelf, iTunes library or whatever you use. I can see indie rock fans of all types flooding towards Sea Wolf in the future, but if you’re a fan of outstanding singer songwriting talent, especially the likes of anything from Andrew Bird to Elliott Smith, you’ll especially enjoy Sea Wolf.
More on Sea Wolf: www.seawolfmusic.com / www.myspace.com/seawolf. |
