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A masterly exercise in restraint, subtle sophistication, and melodic playfulness.
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UncutIt's very fine, glowing with an oblique, poppy sensibility that's theirs alone. [Jan 2003, p.127]
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MojoOne Bedroom finds the group in a more forthright mood -- just shifting up a gear makes a big difference. [Feb 2003, p.90]
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The WireThe production is so delicate and the arrangements so well crafted that you can't help being utterly seduced by this open-ended, non-narrative yet elegant and accessible pop music. [#227, p.71]
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One Bedroom does tend to lag in parts, perhaps lost in the legacy of the band that created it, but in the end it comes off as an unified organic being, both necessary and pleasant.
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One Bedroom is the LP on which The Sea And Cake jettisons most of its jazzbo pretensions long enough to finish the pure, catchy, consistent pop-funk record it's always been capable of.
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In a time when consistency is rare, and integrity even rarer, the Sea and Cake have made an album that highlights where they've been.
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Alternative PressOne bedroom is vaguely European, warmly mechanical and just off-kilter enough to be consistently interesting. [Feb 2003, p.74]
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It's the gurgling electronic underpinnings and distinctly cheerful '70s synth chimes that make the difference here, adding needed texture and distracting from overly rigid rhythmic structures.
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A warm sonic cocoon with synthesizer veins, it possesses the rare quality of making the listener feel like an active ingredient of the music.
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MixerMinimalist yet incredibly expansive. [Jan 2003, p.74]
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While the accompaniment is always thoughtful and inventive, Prekop's vocal idiosyncrasies tend to be a double-edged sword, delightful on the good songs but only accentuating the dreariness of failed experiments like "Le Baron" or "Try Nothing."
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Even when the group treads stylistic water, it gives off pretty ripples.
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UrbIt's just all so blissed-out and soothing you won't know what to do with yourself. [Dec 2002, p.92]
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While the disc's increased emphasis on electronic textures, balanced songwriting and non-linear production is a welcome breath of fresh air, it lends itself to a feeling of sameness that becomes increasingly apparent as the record progresses.
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With The Sea and Cake, the question is never whether the album is good or bad, but whether the album is good or excellent. One Bedroom then is a good album.
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Teems with all the life that the band omitted from Oui.
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Q MagazineTheir poppiest album to date. [Feb 2003, p.107]
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'One Bedroom' is an infinitely pleasurable listen, and one that (very gently) blows away any post-rock preconceptions.
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Although this will not stand out as a landmark in the quartet's cannon, it is a worthy addition to any fan's collection.
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One Bedroom... signals a return to the half-on/half-off inconsistency that marred all Sea and Cake albums except Nassau and Oui, as a handful of misfires trip up the flow.
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Like the best of the Sea and Cake's work, the sixth album from the Chicago indie outfit is a tempest of pastels: It's full of burbling electronic experimentation but still manages to always carry a tune.
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BlenderA fizzling delight, jettisoning previous jazzy inclinations in favor of a gorgeous electronic pitter-patter that sets off Prekop's velvety, mourning vocals. [#14, p.143]
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Singer Sam Prekop sounds as delightfully laid-back as ever and John McEntire's production remains inventive, however, the combined effect is more limp than limber.
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A complacent, inoffensive set of songs that belie the talent and vision of their creators.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 6
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Mixed: 2 out of 6
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Negative: 0 out of 6
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DavidKMApr 19, 2005
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JonathanHJun 13, 2004I wanted to like this cd but i couldn't, i just was bored with it.