The year 1994 was about more than just pogs and ex-football player's accused of killing their wives: It was a revolutionary time in all pop music. Think about it—in the years following Kurt Cobain's death, and the subsequent death of grunge rock, we had the Smashing Pumpkins, Hootie and the Blowfish and Sarah McLaughlin all falling under the label of alternative music—and it was great.
This was the golden age of alternative music, a genre that had no spokesband, no single defining icon and an endless amount of variety. Sure, we mock the flannel shirt and cornrows now, but music was never as fun for this generation as it was then—and probably never will be again.
Deep in this post-grunge era grew the modern indie rock genre, shooting acts such as Pavement and Guided By Voices through the college radio airwaves on a regular basis. A part of this post-Cobain era was the Chicagoan group called the Sea and Cake—a band that grew off the mannerisms of lo-fi garage bands but also dabbled in the shoegazer-chic of Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine.
While SAC began as a traditional four-piece rock band that made simple enjoyable music in the mid 1990s, but transformed into a clan of glitzy GQ models recording hipster, synthesizer complexity as the 2000s rolled in. However, SAC's new release, Everybody, returns the group to their roots in a basic yet tasteful approach to song writing.
Released in 2003, One Bedroom was loaded with all sorts of futuristic bells and whistles—so much that it seemed SAC was on a fast track to becoming a full-fledged techno band in a few years time. However, ""Up On Crutches"" and ""Crossing Line"" rip those suspicions with a slew of key lead guitar tunes that emulate the early days of SAC.
Despite this new scruffy attitude, SAC return with a few sweeter licks in ""Coconut"" and ""Too Strong,"" both of which resonate a summery, full sound, anchored by the coy vocals of Sam Prekop. ""Exact To Me"" presents another interesting diversion from the SAC repertoire, this time with a choppy and brisk track affixed with a gorgeous outro.
""Left On"" shines as the sole electro-jazz track on the album—an infectious ballad filled with wrenching cymbal clashes and truly poignant crescendos from start to finish. For a closing track, ""Transparent"" settles the sundry array of themes throughout the album with a serene, coffee shop-style love song.
Everybody is a dazzling album that consequentially pays homage to that golden age of alternative music. The songs are diverse in character and fit most any mood or musical preference. In reality, good alternative music still exists, but most of the bands won't find you—you have to find them.
SAC have been a diamond in the rough for over a decade, yet are still a critical limb of the post-Cobain alternative era. Are SAC the band that will spearhead the second coming of the alternative music revolution? Probably not, but at least you are all tuning in.
