Seaside Stars : The Stranded Whale

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/seasidestars.jpg" alt=" " />The coastal imagery that the Seaside Stars' name and lyrics evoke is just about perfect for their washy, breezy pop sound.  Throughout their album, <em>The...
5.5

 The coastal imagery that the Seaside Stars' name and lyrics evoke is just about perfect for their washy, breezy pop sound.  Throughout their album, The Stranded Whale, guitars flow in waves with a predictable crash on soft drumming highly remniscient of Teenage Fanclub, who's actually from an island nation.  Seaside Stars, however, are a German duo, so it's interesting that their oceanic imagery doesn't involve the dingy port of Hamburg or harsh North Sea fishing.  Instead, The Stranded Whale conjures a sense of restrained power, much like a beast washed ashore, as the songs are vastly uptempo but overwhelmingly delicate.

Head-bobbing guitar jingles, toe-tapping light drums, and breathy sing-a-longs are the modus operandi for Seaside Stars, and they rarely stray from the formula.  Friendly acoustic & electric strumming weave around each other, and light rhythms keep a pleasant atmosphere, but dig about as deep as a hausfrau's garden shovel.  They rarely push outside of their template, which is why the album never produces a noticeable amount of mojo.

The Stranded Whale is out on Rosemary Records, which is a Japanese label.  Pretty much the only thing in English on the label's website about the album are the words "beach from the summer", which is some fine Engrish, if nothing else.  Similarly, on "September Remains", they sing about the seasons from "New York to New England", which is a curiously small geography that a foreigner would deem overly significant.

Seaside Stars possess a fine, feel-good sound, but are reluctant to expand upon it, which ultimately leaves The Stranded Whale flat.  It's a sweet-tooth satisfaction, but much like all candy, lasts only for a moment.  

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