Sea Wolf

Artist: Sea Wolf
Rests his weary head: LA (formerly NYC)
Album: Leaves in the River
Source: Minnesota Public Radio and KEXP, and a long trip back from France
Sounds Like: (from my limited experience) Mountain Goats, less-electronic Postal Service (but not quite Death Cab)
Find them on: official site, myspace, amazon, iTunes

For more lyrical, post-emo music, check out 'Sea Wolf.' Founded by Alex Brown Church when his musical creation didn't fit with his then group, this is pretty much a one-man effort. Various other performers rotate in and play along to fill out the sound, but the only consistency is Alex. And to be honest, that's all it needs.

You'll be drawn in by really rich sound: subtle tambourines, rhytmic accordions, subconscious background vocals, simple but melodic guitar, and a voice that is hard to describe. The lyrics are also simple but creative, Sea Wolf has the ability to use words to paint a rich picture. No, the sound isn't as complex or mystical as I'm making it out to be, but rather more simple and peaceful. There's a hint of melancholy through almost all of the songs, and the lyrics betray this:

"Sixty years held down by his brother/ ten years with the ghost of his father/and five years since he spoke, since he spoke to his only son." -Winter Windows
"Apparently there'd been a death/ someone close and nothing left/ because she hadn't left him in the end." - Leaves in the River

There's something small-town in these songs, the music isn't busy and the lyrics are more contemplative. What I can only describe as an odd obsession with water and trees (you'll get used to a number of references to streams, leaves, trees, oceans, and rain) seem to hint at some meaning just below the surface. If I didn't have to spend all day writing programs in R, maybe I'd get it.

While all songs hint at something more than just "catchiness," there still is a variety of sound here due to the rotation of artists. My favorite, 'Leaves in the River' is a simple, melodic song describing how two lovers meet, while 'Black Dirt' is a harsher, more mainstream, rocking ballad of love betrayed that places more emphasize of playing with vocal tones. You shouldn't have a problem finding the uber-popular 'You're a Wolf' but I encourage you to hunt for 'Black Leaf Falls' for its haunting acoustic guitar and mellow style.

Their websites are dull but come with the usual assortment of free, streaming music. The music videos really need better directors, but I've attached two to give you the chance to hear their music.

This second video, for "The Garden That You Planted," is not actually the real music video, but rather one put together by some random fans . . . whatever, it gets you access to the music.