Futuristic Fusion With A Blast From The Past

Synth-pop is alive and well. No, the disco-influenced sound of the early 80s isn’t back (thankfully), but The Sea And Cake is, with its signature synth-heavy jazz fusion. Car Alarm is a collection of tracks that demonstrates the quartet’s range and comes across as both a solid pop album and an array of ambient jazz fusion songs.In nearly every song on Car Alarm, The Sea And Cake skillfully blend traditional instrumentation with modern electronica. The opening track, “Aerial,” is a rock song with a lightness brought to it by Sam Prekop’s wispy voice and a harder edge found in Archer Prewitt’s catchy guitar solo. Twelve tracks later the album ends with “Mirrows,” a slow ambient instrumental. In between are ten tracks that blend the two genres that these songs define.

“Aerial” gives way to “Fuller Moon,” which sounds like classic The Sea And Cake with its up-tempo bass beat and subtle synthesizer. While this track showcases the band’s trademark blend of genres, other songs lean more towards rock, such as the title track, which features guitar and drum riffs with alternative rock flair.

Tracks like “Weekend” and “New Schools” highlight the other end of the spectrum with their emphasis on jazz and use of the synthesizer. “Weekend” begins with a traditional guitar solo then transitions to a synth and drum duet backed by Prekop’s slight vocals. “New Schools” is largely instrumental and heavily influenced by jazz improvisation.

Car Alarm is a cohesive collection of music that represents just who The Sea And Cake is: a progressive jazz fusion band that won’t be confined by labels and can invoke catchy pop and ambient jazz with no more than a snap of a finger (or a button on a synthesizer).