School of Language: Sea From Shore

School of Language
Sea From Shore
Thrill Jockey

Considering the extremely recent, and most likely temporary break-up of his band Field Music, English songwriter David Brewis had two main avenues to go down with his new project, School of Language. It would either be the tried and true “stick with what works” approach, or the more daring but equally common “completely new direction” strategy.

With the opening tracks of Sea From Shore, it seems, at first, like Brewis has chosen the latter. Using a layered loop of randomly pronounced vowel sounds, “Rockist, Part 1” and “Rockist, Part 2” (as well as their album closing counterparts, parts 3 and 4) have all the earmarks of an experimental, half-serious side project. Brewis handles variations on a theme quite well, taking the same vocal loop through some clever transformations in rhythm and mood. Nonetheless, it comes as quite a relief when the “a, e, i , o, u” sounds finally stop, and Sea From Shore slides into something much more akin to, well, a Field Music album.

With help from a couple members of the similarly minded Futureheads, Brewis manages to showcase his knack for unconventional catchiness again, combining slick, New Wave pop production with a progish, off-beat rhythm section. It kind of sounds like XTC jamming with Pinback, and fortunately, it works, particularly on the energetic “Poor Boy” and “This Is No Fun.”


(Andrew Clayman)


Published in The Metro Pulse, March 2008