Paper Symphonies

Sea Wolf—White Water, White Bloom—Released September 22, 2009—2nd Studio Album

The band, Sea Wolf derives its name from Jack London’s adventure novel, but Alex Brown Church has his own story to tell; one of love, mythology and the power of nature. Sea Wolf has evolved from the mind and solitary production of Alex Brown Church into an intricate and with their sophomore album, “White Water, White Bloom” from Dangerbird Records.

Released September 22nd with the help of Bright Eyes’ producer and instrumentalist, Mike Mogis, Sea Wolf’s sound has matured and morphed into something quite different. This was originally a side project for Church, who recently left the band Irving to explore his own creative endeavors and after the success of the first album Sea Wolf took on more ambitions, growing to become a full-fledge band, which includes Lisa Fendelander on keyboard, Theodore Liscinski on bass and Joey Ficken on drums.

The first track sounds unmistakably like Conor Oberst singing, but as the Bright Eyes reference fog clears the listener begins to notice that Church is building his own Indie Folk identity. The main criticism of Sea Wolf’s new sound is that this has all been done before with bands like Arcade Fire and The Decemberists, but isn’t that what a genre is all about—a group of similar sounding music? All that really matters is the excellent execution of this album, and frankly, its ability to be more enjoyable than most indie music. It is not trying to be weird and pretentious; only authentic and uniquely beautiful. The music of Sea Wolf is calm and different, but always pleasant to listen to because his soft, beautiful voice moves you emotionally. Essentially, it’s folk music with an edge, and a lot of that comes from the relationship of the keyboard, electric guitar and drums with the tradition acoustic sound.

Church describes his own music as “Big, dark, folk rock,” and contains expertly written poetic lyrics that always contain their own narrative. “White Water, White Bloom” resembles an epic poem about the shift of the cold seasons, and a deep love. While touring with his last band Church met and fell in love with a girl from Montreal, so the majority of this album was written there—acquitting her and the river by their home as his inspiration. The only two songs written in L.A., “O Maria!” and “Wicked Blood” are drastically different; they are louder, more exuberant in guitar and piano and perhaps reflects his city surroundings. The energy of these songs rises exponentially as he violently spits out the lyrics, working over the surprisingly strong percussion for a folk band. The most striking thing about Sea Wolf is the variety of instruments—acoustic and electric guitars, keyboard, cello, pump organ, string quartet—and how effectively they work together to create fervent melodies. For the album, Mike Mogis assisted on lead guitar and an assortment of other instruments while his Bright Eyes cohort, Nate Walcott, played cello and arranged strings for the quartet.

The sophomore album for any band is always a pivotal moment, and the tone of the music always changes. There is a definite shift here, towards the depths of excitement and extensive instrumental collaboration. The first album is generally softer, and the gentle plucking of the acoustic and electric guitars, in turn, extract feelings of happiness from the listener. The drums and piano parts are dramatically more prominent in the new album, giving it a sense of urgency and excitement, but the cello also promotes a layer of sadness. The addition of the string quartet often softens the discordant tones created by the layering of acoustic and electric guitars, and accentuates the atmosphere the lyrics create.

Since having an established band is a new attribute for Sea Wolf, the group really wanted their music to reflect that this was no longer the solitary confessions of Alex Brown Church, but a collaboration of unique musical minds and talents.  As a result the whole thing seemed to be influenced more by traditional rock and strayed away from folk-like characteristics—most likely a lot of Mogis’ doing. “Dew In The Grass,” which may be the album’s best song, consists of guitars soaked in reverb—performing the only solo on either album—pounding piano chords, and piercingly vivid lyrics, “The dew in the grass had an electric glow/And the light cut right through/Through her skin, through her bones.” This song perfectly encompasses Sea Wolf’s new dramatic style and tone. (CQ)

“White Water, White Bloom” definitely shows a darker, more intense side to Alex Brown Church, and most of the songs aren’t as intimate as the last album, which many fans might resent. However, the calmer tracks, “Orion & Dog” and “The Orchard” have a delicate array of strings and piano that bring back Sea Wolf’s familiar sound. But who can blame him for changing his sound, the man has poetry to sing, and passion to burn.