In order for The Boats to be born, a vessel upon which four musicians from the United Kingdom dab crayon colors into their sea-shanty rhythms and sonorous textures which murmur like the waves, there was to be no parrying the need for sacrifice. The material which makes up this album was indeed that which had to be cut in order for The Boats first effort to come to fruition. While that work dealt with gauzy bedroom electronica, under this nom de plume, vocals, violin and piano play a more prominent role.
On a whole, although similarities might be drawn between the two projects – both sketch compositions that sparkle and rotate into aural focus, that dissolve and swell into light sweeps of melody – The Sea creates a stronger organic sense of timelessness. These depths, allusions, and echoes are made present by a certain act of disappearance. Smashed electronic shivers and serpentine crackles are present, but minimally so; tones slide and sweep across the stereo spectrum, but evaporate or play the chameleon behind slow susurrations of piano or organ notes. ‘I Enclose A Gift’s stands out for its long, rolling violin lines accompanied by Esker’ slowly rising intonations, while ‘The Whole World Is Sea And Sky’ and ‘My Daydream Ran Out Of Time’ appeal for their patience in the building of dynamism and sonic tension. It’s not a recording that mesmerizes for its richness, but one which opens up a nocturnal, elegant space that is becoming for its stillness and inkling of memory and melancholy.
Max Schaefer
