Eastern Seaboard, Perfect Summer is the debut album by Brooklyn and London based duo The King Canutes who are Keir Woods and Ricard Alwyn Fisher who utilized many of the legendary musicians who also record at Magic Door studios in Montclair New Jersey with Ray Ketchum producing the assembled cast of Dave Derby, Doug McEachern, Kevin March, Ray Ketchem, John Leon, Mac Gollehon, David Nagler, Mike Dillon, Kendall Jane Meade, Verena Wiesendanger, Jessie Kilguss, Renee LoBue and Joe Colwell.
The album opens with Seymour Stein (For Earl Holmes) looking for someone to change your life and sign you to the record label they run, while sounding like Lloyd Cole with added brass section, they know they are not the only people looking for a new Seymour Stein, lets face it we could all do with more genius record label bosses, able to discover and launch as many great careers as he did.
The Mixture As Before is knowing it's time for one more go round of the same old games, finding the next love of your life, you'll be happy you laid your feelings bare, even if you didn't get what you wanted from it, this has the melancholia of The Lilac Time almost perfect.
Cars & Girls isn't the brash garage punk you might expect from the songs title, but is instead a rather fey indie jangle pop love song/ love letter to the old school joys of driving and stopping for directions, this is pre sat nav and electric cars, they can still drive at more than 20 mph in town, wistful for glorious old times, when all that mattered were Cars & Girls and the latest Prefab Sprout single, that this originally was.
Perfect Summer sounds like the slowest of Edwyn Collins songs, they reflect on that Perfect Summer seven years ago when love really came to town, when the woman he fell for replies, it is with a knowing feeling in her voice, of the heartbreak to come, decorated with cool trumpets and then the guitars come in like they really have gone wild together.
Eastern Seaboard has them searching for an actress who tells the truth to them, while still being happy to fall in love with them, this is wistful while acknowledging that you are the one falling for all the wrong women and all the grief that can cause.
Red Hook Sunset is slow and reflective for the time you spent watching that Red Hook Sunset on the pier, with the only one that matters to him, at that time anyway, the trumpet solo feels like the last post for the love you had and is now gone.
Room 21 is for the wife he never had and what they got up too in Room 21, the hopes and dreams that went awry after the passions were spent, among slow guitars and careful beat, evoking visions of you losing your summer dress that day.
Man From Hawaii is in love with the Shangri La's drum sound, big widescreen intentions for this tale of an emigre watching other immigrants coming and going while his life just goes on, he's enjoying his station in life, even though he isn't wealthy.
The album closes with Come Undone that is the bands Christmassy song, well at least they are dealing with the Christmas lights and the way so many relationships Come Undone over the holiday period, they are exposed to each other's families and how that can change your perceptions of each other. This is a rather down at heart duet for a return to loneliness that could have been avoided if you only planned things better.
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