Sun Seeker
Biddeford
(Third Man Records)
I prefer summer beach scenes warm with a breeze. I like the promise of dark skies. Perhaps it is my lifelong pre-occupation with melancholy, but saccharine sweet just doesn’t work for me. Give me a little sand in the ointment.
The six-song debut EP from the Nashville-based quartet opens with a quick, tickling set of keyboards before turning over into the mid-tempo, pop track, “Churchill” that during its brief, two minutes evokes a strong California, 60’s feeling. The vocal harmonies are rich with an array of bittersweet twinges, telling the story of the titular character, a heartbreaker. Following that is the title track, full of more restrained acoustic guitars and a surprising, unaffected voice that sings about dying in Biddeford. The tempo quickens on “Wont Keep Me Up At Night”, one of the more fun-loving tracks on the album, in spite of the gray cloud that hangs over the subject matter. All of the members of Sun Seeker (who have played together for many years, in spite of the relative newness of this project) offer something to the vocal mix and they work quite well together, adding a timeless, dreamlike haze to all the songs. “Might Be Time” the album’s final song breaks off a brief noisy burst of feedback before reverting to soft-hearted pop out to the finish; that little rift is the only real chance taking or experimentation on Biddeford, which becomes a real lack. But, if you put the water pistol to my head and I’d say that “With Nothing (But Our Last Words)” is my favorite track, although each listen forces my attention to a different aspect of what Sun Seeker brings.
While I enjoyed Biddeford, the EP ends up feeling a little too neat for my taste. Sure, there are melancholic tones all over these six tracks, but the result is not terribly edgy, relying on dour melodies and a sort of self-described angst for its overcast feelings; the songwriting never pushes me over emotionally, giving the EP a check box feel. Song about death? Yes. Song about the unattainable nature of love? Uh-huh.
Overall, I think Sun Seeker has a good thing on their hands but they really need to push another step out and take chances in their sound before it rounds into shape.
