White Sea

In Cold Blood

10
10/10
Del LeFevre | May 20, 2014

I’ve always had a soft spot for White Sea as Morgan Kibby was my first SYFFAL interview. We talked about her planned LP that was to be the follow up to her splendid EP, This Frontier. That was many many moons ago, December 0f 2010 to be exact. As time passed and passed our collective memory of White Sea’s sound faded I worried that ​the​ album was turning into ​her ​Chinese Democracy. I feared that it would see the light of day ​..or even worse Buckethead would be on it.​

Fast forward to today. Holy Fuck’s Fuck. It’s here and it is no fucking Chinese Democracy. It is her Appetite for Destruction… and her appetite cannot be satiated. She is a god damn Rocket Queen out to take down this big bad world ​ one great track at a time. We are all witnesses.

Holy crap this album, you guys. Hyperbole be damned I say. Can we just call the year over and done with? In Cold Blood has me so sonically spent. I have so much love for everything on this fucker. I’ve got nothing left in the tank for anyone else…and I’m ok with that.

In Cold Blood hits so many of the right life chords from top to bottom. It's a perfect emotional entrance and a perfect cathartic exit. It is the double tapered poop of pop music. Poop pop?! WTF. That's a terrible way to describe this gem of gems. Not to be confused with Jem. I’m losing my train of thought here. OK What I meant is just that it is flawless from end to end.

The production on this album are equal parts chaos, release, & heart. Kiss offs, turn offs, jump offs swirl around you like a perfect storm of finality, tempered ever so slightly by loving nods to past influences. There are so many great parts to dig into. I shit you not when I say each song has multiple moments that just take you a thankful place of thinking “Fuck, I’m sure glad she made that choice.” You’ll say that to yourself over and over again as you dig into the album because you will want to decode all of the great layers that are happening throughout your puny not ready for this orchestra of sound that is pumping through your ear buds, bud. Rock the Bose and show Morgan Kibby some respect.

If Ellie Goulding grew up only listening to Fleetwood Mac records she would come close to making this record. Maybe. I'm so god damn in love with this record. I don't care if it scares you off. The last track on this album is everything that you want anything to be. Not only is it the best closing track on an album this year it just might be the best track of all year.

The 2:55 mark will restore your faith in life.

It should be known that I forced the HYPEM preview stream on just about any and every person who’d listen. Tom was of the first converts. He’s here now to expand on our joint love.

Tom says

Warning: I'm getting ready to word vomit all up onya with boldness. I'm going to throw a lot of opinion on to the wall that seems to be sticking right now because I'm lusting like a dog in heat, but we'll see if said opinions hold up in a couple of months.

In Cold Blood is thee album of the summer. It'll take me through the BBQs of Memorial Day, the Fireworks of 4th of July, the swamp crotch of August, and will get me through the wave of depression that hits on Labor Day.

In Cold Blood may be the best electro pop steeze I've heard since The Naked and Famous released Passive Me, Aggressive You.

The first 2 tracks off of In Cold Blood are thee best start to an album I've heard since...Fuck, I can't even remember when.

If I was allowed one item to live on a deserted island with it'd be this CD to use as a pillow.

If White Sea was candy they'd be cherry flavored....don't even debate me on this. No flavor is consistently great as cherry across the candy line. Get than Fuckin' grape Dum Dum out of my face. And orange fruit snacks go directly to the trash. Cherry is where it's at. White Sea is fucking CHERRY.

Okay, okay. Who the Fuck is White Sea? I honestly had no idea; I only listened because Del threatened to come to my house and put it on my home speakers. And NOBODY wants Del around their kids....so I initially listened to this album out of fear, but what started out as fear turned into pure unadulterated air humping.