Musicians are a funny breed and putting several respected and talented musicians together is no sure sign of success. Band chemistry is a discipline well outside the realms of human science and is part luck, part chance. Those chemicals will either fizz and sparkle and set off a chain reaction, or fall flat like an uncorked wine. However, with Drink The Sea I’m pleased to report that they very much fall in the former category as attested by their recent debut and sophomore albums (imaginatively titled I and II). Those two records now get collected as a double set, twenty two tracks that hang together as a unified whole and suggest that this band is going to stick around for a long while.
“Supergroup” is a word that conjures images of lumbering, dinosaur rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and Mott The Hoople with rampant egos running amok. Therefore, I’m reluctant to put such a label on Drink The Sea, but considering the calibre of musicians involved in this project, no other word would do them justice and they all make themselves known on opening track ‘Shaking For The Snakes’. It’s a piece of musical voodoo direct from the Deep South that’s ushered forwards by Barrett Martin’s (The Screaming Trees) unique drumming that is at once expressive and understated. With the aid of Lisette Garcia’s percussion, the pair create rich and rarely heard rhythms that open up avenues for the band which will be explored over the following 90-minutes. Anyone who knows the work of guitarists Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Duke Garwood (Mark Lanegan Band) will testify that they largely eschew the “guitar god” template, preferring to add texture and shade, rather than endless noodling, and they weave a rich tapestry throughout. All too often in rock music, the bass is hidden deep in the mix as a supplementary instrument (and The Doors largely dispensed with a bassist) but on these two discs Alain Johannes is given a more prominent role, acting as a compass that signposts future travel (and with a rumble of which Lemmy would be proud on ‘Land Of Spirits’). However, each band member is a multi-instrumentalist and plays a wide variety of strings and skins, and with three members providing vocals, Drink The Sea paint their sound from a palette so wide, most other bands would be green with envy.

That no two songs inhabit the same sonic space is testament to Drink The Sea’s prowess and they draw inspiration from all parts of the globe. Subsequently, Arabic flourishes rub shoulders with motorik beats, and sometimes both at the same time (such as on ‘House Of Flowers’ where east meets west) and the band’s genius lies in bringing these disparate elements together and tying them into a cohesive whole. You feel that Drink The Sea is a true democracy, egos have been left at the door and the songs have been allowed to grow organically. It’s an approach that gives I & II a cinematic quality, albeit the dark filmic aesthetic of Tarantino, and the guitars often have an Ennio Morricone feel (especially on ‘Sweet As A Nut’) and that gives things a dreamy, otherworldly vibe that transports the listener from this world to another plane.

This double set reminds me of the whole vinyl experience. The act of turning over a piece of vinyl is an often overlooked part of playing wax, but it is vitally important; like the intermission at a cinema or the end of an act at the theatre, it’s a moment where you digest what you’ve heard and anticipate what’s to come and that’s just the vibe changing discs creates. There’s a clear direction of travel over the two albums and when we reach final track ‘Butterfly’ it feels as if we have arrived at our destination, things wind down and become increasingly stark. But as with most endings, ‘Butterfly’ suggests there’s much more to come from Drink The Sea.

• I & II is released via Sunyata Records and is available now.
• Official Website | Linktr.ee | YouTube Channel

Track List:

Disc One: I

1. Shaking For The Snakes
2. Saturn Calling
3. Outside Again
4. House Of Flowers
5. Put Your Glow On
6. Land Of Spirits
7. Tuareg Asteroid
8. The Strangest Season
9. Paredes
10. Where We Belong
11. Embers

Disc Two: II

1. Sacred Tree
2. Sweet As A Nut
3. Bembe For Two
4. Mouth Of The Whale
5. Rose Crested Sky
6. Spirit Away
7. Aching Harbor
8. Sip Of The Juice
9. Midnight Starlight
10. Meteors
11. Butterfly