Drifting Through the Sea of Green
By Tate Bengtson
First published in Chaotic Critiques #13
Unlike the dinosaur, which took a bath in that ill-fated tar pit and subsequently became the stuff of Smithsonian exhibits, the 70s rock riff merely went into an extended period of hibernation before rumbling back into public consciousness on the wave of such uglified odes to utter heaviness as Cathedral`s Soul Sacrifice EP, Gorefest`s overlooked Soul Survivor album, and the entire discographies of Kyuss and Monster Magnet, among many others. The "stoner rock" tag emerged and stuck, much to the chagrin of many of the artists lumped within that particular genre, although the implied connection to substances that fall under the latter part of the Food and Drug Act clearly has not hampered the focus and creativity of many of the bands that have carved a niche within the field.
Among those bands is Sea of Green. Quite frankly, the stoner rock tag does not do Sea of Green justice. The band clearly has its sights set on much loftier goals, such as introducing "outerspace" as an amendment to the triarchy of sex, drugs, and rock `n roll. Distinctive rhythmic lurches, caused by a bloated bass guitar that plops huge pulsating splotches of low-end heaviness across Sea of Green`s expansive soundscapes, guides the twelve songs that comprise Time To Fly through a 70s-inspired heavy rock sojourn of cabinet-rattling heaviness. The sense of space, expertly crafted via the skilled production work of Nick Blagona (Tea Party), provides the ideal soundtrack for introspection and hypnosis, as drifting vocal melodies spiral lazily through the wash of fuzz-ridden guitar riffs. To modify an old saying: If you stare at the lava lamp long enough, eventually it will stare back at you.
Amazingly, given their refined sound, Sea of Green formed only in 1999. Releasing the outstanding Northern Lights EP in 2000, which spoke of a distinctive sound focused on trippy melodies, huge riffs, and huger hooks, it only hinted at the magnitude of sheer sonic space to be covered on the band`s full-length debut, 2001`s Time to Fly. The hazy, psychedelic slide of "Deep Inside" floats listlessly in zero gravity, chilling on an entrancing chorus hook, providing a striking counterpoint to the eruptive power of opener "Annihilation," where the passionate vocals are endearingly strained and scattered with just the right touch of echo, while guitars hammer out a brash, urgent riff that matches with a bang-on drum performance.
When questioned about how Time to Fly builds upon the framework initially established with Northern Lights, bassist Eric Kuthe responds, "I think the two flow very well together. You could take the six songs on Northern Lights and the twelve on Time To Fly and easily create one `ultimate CD.` The main difference between CDs was preparation. Northern Lights was recorded after only 3 months of being together as a unit, whereas with Time To Fly we had over a year of jamming and writing under our belts."
So what does Kuthe think of the term stoner rock? I maintain that Sea of Green`s connection with the term is artificial at best, merely a convenient tag for lazy rock journos. Quite frankly, the standard-bearers of the scene, (arguably) Monster Magnet or Kyuss, stand in sharp distinction to Sea of Green, which sounds like a more rockin` version of Pink Floyd. Of course, all three bands share in a mutual affinity for huge, fuzzed-out rock riffs and psychedelia, although Sea of Green`s interpretation travels a different path. In the end, to the extent that any genre tag really matters, the band would seem to prefer being affiliated with the broadest possible class. "I personally like the good old fashioned term `rock & roll` better than stoner rock," opines Kuthe. "Rock is rock, country is country, dance is dance, etc. If you were to go with the term rock & roll, then we easily fit in with everything from Queens of the Stone Age to Stone Temple Pilots! Stoner rock is just a catch phrase created by the media to lump bands together like the more recent nu-metal tag. It`s too bad, it`s all just rock & roll to me."
One of the striking aspects of Time to Fly is that two very different, both very positive, listening experiences may be encountered. Crank the album on a stereo, and you have yourself an excellent rock album, overflowing with catchy vocal melodies, huge riffs, and toe-tapping rhythms. But take a step back, strap on the headphones, and absorb the music at a (slightly) quieter volume, and a more cerebral experience is encountered, where your standard rock iconography is represented on a warped terrain of shifting hypnotic and psychedelic rock contours, melting like a clock in a Dali painting and yet oddly frozen in its own surreal irony. "I think Time To Fly is a great journey from beginning to end," states Kuthe. "It takes the listener on a ride through varying energy levels and atmospheres. I think that, to that extent, it is good for many different sorts of moods and situations. If you`re partying with your friends, having a few beers, it`s good to crank up and rock out to. If you`re alone, on the other hand, in the car or at home it`s also good `background` music. There`s a song on there for every occasion."
So Eric, given the multiplicity of experiences available to the listener, what kind of feeling or response would you hope that your music creates in your audience?
"I think that rock & roll has been a little too dark and angry lately. The whole `grunge` scene was kind of depressing really...mind you I still love Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. And nu-metal is so angry. I think that music should be more of an escape from the problems and troubles of everyday life, not a therapy session for why you were molested or abandoned as a child [laughs]. Our music is just that, a way to escape! You can drift away with `Dune,` get high with `Red Haired Dreams,` or have sex to `Deep Inside.` Escape and open your mind," drifts the bassist.
Sea of Green`s songwriting process is unique, at least in part due to the fact that each band member is capable of writing on different instruments. Eric reveals that "we write in all sorts of different ways which is quite unique I think. For example, `Annihilation` was written with me playing the drums, and `Everafter`s bass line was written by Chris. There`s a song called `Take A Stand` that`s on the Japanese import that we wrote with me on guitar and Travis on drums. We love switching instruments to keep the ideas fresh. There`s a few songs, though, that had been in my head for a few years that finally made it out and onto Time To Fly. `Orion`s Belt,` `Red Haired Dreams,` and `Dune` were my little babies while `Woman Today` was Travis` and `Everafter` was Chris`. The rest were all group efforts musically and lyrically for the most part. I`m not exactly sure why, but I somehow end up writing a large majority of the lyrics for our songs. I`m just glad the guys like my ideas."
With regards to songwriting, Kuthe affirms that, much like other artists, he uses music as an emotional release. "Around the writing of Time To Fly," recalls the four-stringer, "I was going through some personal troubles and I had a chance to get those emotions out musically and lyrically. `Long Time Coming` is one of those songs, and I`m especially happy that I had a chance to sing it as well - it was a cleansing process for me!"
One of the major factors that results in the clear chemistry of Sea of Green`s songwriting likely stems from the fact that the members are also very close outside of the music environment. "We all love each other like brothers! We rehearse three times a week, four hours per rehearsal. For most bands, that would be seeing each other way too much right there. Well not for us, we get together all of the time to go for drinks, see other bands, have a barbecue, or celebrate a special occasion like my son`s birthday or Christmas. The good thing is that we really do enjoy each other`s company and that reflects in our music too - we`re a family, a gang!"
In addition to touring in support of Time to Fly, Sea of Green is also writing for its next album, and has reportedly already recorded six new songs, with Eric also handling production duties this time out. He describes the songs as "thick and fat and very catchy" - an appropriate description for Sea of Green in general. So hit that thrift store in search of a pair of bellbottoms, break out the D.I.Y. tie-dye kit, dig that lava lamp out of the attic, plop your rear end down on your most luxurious beanbag chair, and crank Sea of Green to insanely high volumes, for this is truly an album which will send the mind soaring. |
