sea.mine

SEA.MINE (High Dive) Tonight Sea.Mine celebrate the official release of their new album, Does Anyone Else Miss the Cold War?, which has actually been available as a limited-edition handmade release for the better part of the fall. Cold War follows up the band's debut EP, Divorce Letters, and boasts an even more sturdy, pretty rock crossed with Wilco, R.E.M., and Sebadoh influences. Ian Bell's vocals have the same creamy smoothness as the Catherine Wheel's Rob Dickinson, and their brand of melodic indie rock is also reminiscent of another beautiful local (Seattle) band, Verona. There's subdued but strong piano, dynamic shifts in volume and mood, and most importantly, enough of a hook to keep the songs in your head long after the last note rings.
Stranger Review by Megan Seling - The Stranger

Divorce Letters
Sea.mine

So you know that awful album REM put out about a year ago? Of course you don't – it was miserable. It was worse than drowning. The only attention it gets these days is a prominent place on a clearance rack. It was called "Around the Sun." For the longest time I kept thinking about how a band like REM managed to write such a shit album. It troubled me, even. They had all the tools and know-how to redeem themselves; the band is a mature and seasoned outfit and they should've settled into that grandfather status with some amount of grace and even the occasional good album.

Why then did a nascent local band do everything that REM should have done?

Whatever. I'm not even gonna answer that. And frankly, I'm sick of holding the shift key down three letters at a time.

To call the boys of sea.mine "local" is an understatement. I am writing this in a cafe in the Art building. If I walk quickly, I could stand at the very spot where frontman Ian Bell met bassist Scott Teske in less than thirty seconds. SEA.MINE CRED 1UP.

One of the most striking things of their new EP, Divorce Letters, is the refreshing sincerity and simplicity of the songs. They're not doing anything revolutionary; Divorce Letters isn't going into the annals of pop music achievement. But this EP is just what my confused and battered ears needed: an unassuming singer/songwriter styled band that stands on solid ground. Bell's just slightly coarse voice soarsand descends, carrying the band's sound well. The crunchy, catchy and nuanced guitar work is engaging and gives your foot something to tap about. Add Coldplay to the list of bands that could learn something from sea.mine.

The opening track, "When All You Can Do Is Feel," isn't quite as sensual as you might think. However, it is indicative of sea.mine's approach, with a lazy, groovy guitar breakdown and inspired rock fills. "Rebel," the third track on the five-song EP walks a well-crafted balance of imaginative structure and accessibility. One of the band's strengths is their ability to back the cadence of Bell's vocals; as he belts a line of chorus each instrument plays to his vocal direction. However, each track seems to stay within certain confines – no song ever feels a touch uncomfortable or in pursuit of a new idea. This confidence is certainly admirable in sea.mine's young age, however, I've always appreciated a song or two that really challenges a listener.

Divorce Letters shows a band very much in control of their art, hinting at considerable promise. More so than Michael Stipe, anyway.
- Rainydawg Album Review