Search - Band Marino :: The Sea & the Beast

Better off as an EP

R. Mahieu | Seattle, WA | 07/04/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Band Marino was recommended by a daily blog that I read, notably the songs "Chasing Rainbows" and "Every Time I Make a Girl Cry I Know I've Done My Job". Later I found the CD in the bargain bin for $1.99, and decided to give it a whirl. What I've found is that the band lacks a certain identity. They're playful, yet serious, and it's hard to classify them. They have some upbeat rockers, some country tinged songs, and some tracks to hum along with. Their influences can be heard throughout. Here's a rundown:



"American Patriot" starts the album with a sing-along chorus, after which the lead singer repeats over and over "No, I'm not coming back round here no more". Pretty good song. "I Have a Dream" has a nice violin/guitar pairing to start and is upbeat in an Interpol/Arcade Fire hybrid sort of way, but it fails to stick. The singer comes across whiny and unpolished. I hear a bit of Manchester Orchestra in this song. "Destroy your children, cheat and steal/I've got a dream so follow me/All that you want is all that's real/I've got a dream so follow me" is not a lyric that is poignant enough to be memorable. "Chasing Rainbows" is a keeper, however, starting off with an America/Neil Young country-tinged guitar/harmonica combo loop, and is playful and enjoyable. Great melodies paired with effective harmony by the band makes for a standout of a song. Next is a quick 1 minute break of a song, which adds little to the album's feel.



"Every Time..." is downright funky, with a great title and music to support. Effective guitar work carries this well-worked out track, complete with a sing-along/hum-along ending. Easily the album's standout track. "Feel it in The Air" slows things down, and early on he sounds like Jim James from My Morning Jacket, before becoming more of a Fleetwood Mac sounding song. Pretty smoothed/grooved out song. This shows their versatility, with a little banjo/string section during the last 2 minutes. "Arlee Hayes" is a shot at story-telling, with manic vocals to start, and overdone guitars, followed by a short narrative, and to me it is a total mess.



"Someday We All Must Die" is a haunting song, reminds me of Daniel Johnston fronting the Decemberists. "Como Se Dice Senorita, Act 1" is another frantic chaotic mess of a song. Who will this appeal to? Rarely has a band been able to pull of songs in another language in this genre (remember Nada Surf's attempt at French?). Again this has the storytelling chaos of a Decemberists' track off of Picaresque. "Song for a Melody" calms things down (thankfully) and the singer's register is on display here, and the track is playfully pretty. Hints of Ryan Adams in his voice on this one. The only drawback is that it's 5:15. "Dear Balladeer" closes out The Sea & The Beast with a down-tempo lyric: "There's a lovesong in the air, can you hear it my dear/Can you feel it everywhere, it can be so hard to me/I guess I'll go back home/It's one thing I know". The harmonies on this song are that of the Beach Boys, Fleet Foxes, Ruby Suns. Very well done.



These guys obviously are talented, it just seems that they try too hard on some songs. Noteworthy tracks are Chasing Rainbows, Every Time..., Feel it in The Air, Someday We All Must Die, and Dear Balladeer. Recommended for fans of The Decemeberists, Manchester Orchestra, Jukebox the Ghost, Midlake."