Eagle Seagull- Eagle Seagull
September 7, 2007
Eagle Seagull
Eagle Seagull
October 3rd, 2006- Lado
2005- Paper Garden Records
Marquis de Sade would have liked Eagle Seagull. I say this quite afraid that readers will believe that I am implying that Eagle Seagull’s music is lecherous, debauchery laden, sexually perverse, and morally deviant. Well…what can I say? Until now most of the “buzz” concerning Eagle Seagull’s self titled debut mainly deals with…the “buzz” around Eagle Seagull’s self titled debut. Much that has been written speaks of the dark yet poetic mood of the record or the epic vocals of Eli Mardock. Interviews often feature questions asking the band how they feel about comparisons to Clap Your Hands and Arcade Fire. Indeed, Eagle Seagull might be more aptly compared to The Cure, Pulp, or the dim and ethereal Blonde Redhead, but what does this really say about the band? Eagle Seagull will have a long time to define who they are as subsequent albums say more about their longevity and integrity, but their first one was quite a start.
The lyrical mood of Eagle Seagull is not simply dark. It is sinister, morose, morbid, and irreverent. I’ve listened to this record over a hundred times and I still think to myself, “Did he just say that?” The poetics of Lock And Key describe hearts “filled with doom,” and phrases like, “Won’t you just crucify me. Just kiss me and deny me. Drink my blood and eat my body. Come on babe just deify me.” from Hello Never demonstrate the noir themes pervasive in every tune. Holy sings the mantra that we’d all love to believe, that we are holy, that we are all angels. But hidden in short breaths and beautiful bells, Eli says, “You make me want to be a saint…who kills people.” Some tracks aren’t so reclusive in their violence. Your Beauty Is A Knife I Turn On My Throat has simply one of the loveliest choruses of all time. “Your beauty it is a knife…” This record is stunning in its romance with regret. Eagle Seagull’s debut contains love songs written from the recesses of the mind, narrating the human heart at its worst, while detailing its obsessive desire to be new again. This album is a rare feat. It is beautiful.
Also pervasive throughout Eagle Seagull’s basement ballads are deep and visceral melodies. They are heavy, contemplative and gorgeous, pulling the lyrical message out of the gothic darkness. Not since Boys For Pele have such delicate and desperate words been so easy to identify with. It is possible to treat these tunes as if they were buzz worthy pop songs only because the lyrics are matted within such a pleasing context. The guitars imbue the songs with subsurface tension, while the percussions abandon the post-punk model, seeking to add to the musicality rather than operate as a metronome. The intimacy felt in the songs reveal thoughts that we don’t and won’t admit we think. I greatly admire this band.
Eagle Seagull has two shows in New York City. In Brooklyn they’ll be down at Union Hall on Wednesday September 12th. On Friday September 14th they’ll grace the stage of The Mercury Lounge. I’ll be at both shows. I encourage all to attend. The last time my fiancée Hillary and I saw Eagle Seagull was at The Memories Bar in Chicago. As I recall, they followed a series of hard-core acts that blurted trite pleas to “Fuck the Government.” It was a little bizarre to see them play after a toothless 75 year old punk, bobbing up and down with his middle finger flopping around. Aside from Memories, I have not seen them perform away from their home turf. I wish them the best of luck in NYC and I hope that they get all the attention they deserve. Their upcoming record The Year Of The How-To Book, due out early next year, promises to be as phenomenal as their debut. I am not sure that there will be as much tenderness or vulnerability expressed, but I am sure it will not disappoint.
http://www.eagleseagull.com
http://www.myspace.com/eagleseagull
http://www.papergardenrecords.com
Related Sounds
Pulp
The Cure
Blonde Redhead
Wilco
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