In the three-plus years following the release of 1997's The Fawn, the
Sea and Cake's ever-busy membership dabbled in solo albums, touring with
side projects, and various other responsibilities that come with the territory
in the Chicago indie rock scene. But as effortlessly as an April breeze,
the quartet reconvened to turn in Oui, quite possibly the finest of the
group's five albums to date.
Oui brightens up the electroacoustic hybrids first heard on The Fawn
with guidance from frontman Sam Prekop's Brazilian-influenced 1999 solo
debut and drummer John McEntire's production work on two Stereolab albums.
While the looping synths often bogged down the mediocre material on The
Fawn, the electronics serve as much better complements here. Prekop turns
in some of his catchiest melodies to date, while the band follows suit
on the sparkling, funky pop of "All the Photos" and the wobbly,
mallet-laden "The Leaf," which makes good on the soothing ballad
style introduced on "Window Lights," TSAC's contribution to
the 1999 McEntire-scored Reach the Rock soundtrack.
A sophisticated pop pleasure from start to finish, Oui is the aural equivalent
of a perpetual Indian summer.
(by Jonathan Cohen, All
Music Guide)
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