Rating: 7.9/10
When the Kingston Trio raced to the top of the charts in 1958 with the release of “Tom Dooley”, they set in stone a style molded around the folk banjo and mystic stories. Fifty years past that somewhat overlooked occasion, Sea Wolf has congealed a similar reverberation with Leaves in the River.
The absence of a banjo in Sea Wolf is obvious, but the hollowed out backdrop behind Alex Brown’s voice and the array of instruments sneak up on a casual listener. Aside from Brown’s vocals, the group consists of Lisa Fendelander (keyboard), Theodore Liscinski (bass), April Guthrie (cello), Scott McPherson (drums) and Aaron Robinson (guitar). With an expansive number of members, one might expect an album from a new group to clash more than not. Although Sea Wolf remains relatively fresh on the music scene, they avoid this confusion as each song on Leaves in the River features a new, yet familiar, resolution.
“Winter Windows” highlights Sea Wolf’s comfort with the vast sounds they wield as an accordion (via keyboard) and tambourine move energetically around Brown’s subdued lyrics of “it's the winter windows that ends become beginnings”. In “The Cold, the Dark and the Silence” Sea Wolf once again switches their sound from a typical guitar-laden track to a keyboard and cello centered song. The cello plays so thick that the whole atmosphere surrounding Brown’s harmonizing lyrics lay to rest in a shadowy corner. Throughout the album this unusual assortment of sounds is delivered so fluidly that it would appear the group is more than one group with one clear-cut goal of dynamic and dappled art.
Within the walls of their sound-laden fortress, the group melted many folksy stories into their first full-length album. “The Rose Captain” sang to a niche The Kingston Trio constantly perfected- the ode. Sea Wolf used a softly played drum and a hypnotically constant guitar to achieve the solemnity of such a song. The mention of a gypsy, which is a term mostly used in folk literature or poetry concerning nomadic minorities, appears multiple times in LITR, further deepening Sea Wolf’s immersion in storytelling through their songs.
While harnessing this old-time style, repetitious lyrics cement the emotion of each song. Sea Wolf’s most popular song on the album, “You’re a Wolf”, reiterates countless ballads line after line without losing any interest. Not only does this track appeal through its minimalist lyrics, but also a sense of motion pushes it forward. “Middle Distance Runner” exemplifies this shuffle onward as a guitar serenely plucks away while a “feet-hitting-the-gravel” sound blends into the background.
Leaves in the River rolls smoothly across any speakers as it hones to the whisper of storytelling. For any fan of folk music like The Kingston Trio or subdued indie group like Rogue Wave, Sea Wolf formidably delivers with this album. Apart from a few over-the-top rhymes in “Black Dirt”, the consistency of quality songs with efficient transitions overshadows any flaws. I find it hard to think that Sea Wolf could record the same album twice due to their always unique way to deliver lyrics and serenade a poem, so there should be no less expectation whenever they are ready to deliver again.
Leaves in the River (buy)
1. Leaves in the River (buy)
2. Winter Windows (buy)
3. Black Dirt (buy)
4. The Rose Captain (buy)
5. Middle Distance Runner (buy)
6. You're a Wolf (buy)
7. Song for the Dead (buy)
8. Black Leaf Falls (buy)
9. The Cold, the Dark & the Silence (buy)
10. Neutral Ground (buy)
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