Watashi Wa - Eager Seas Review

Watashi Wa - Eager Seas

Rating

RIYL

Copeland
Mae
Rocket Summer
New Amsterdams

Tracklist

1. Ten Years And Separating States
2. Face
3. Free Ride
4. Courtyard
5. The Game
6. Broken Man
7. All That I Can't Keep
8. 2:57
9. Sydney Tonight
10. All Of Me
11. Father, Son
12. Something To Say

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Rick Gebhardt

Honesty is one of the most important virtues of man. It is something that makes us truly unique, something that sets us apart from everything else. While all humans have the ability to be honest, to let their soul be seen, most chose to live behind a veil. Most people have something to hide so their true self is never known. It is when you can lift up the veil and break down the wall that you can truly understand and love someone.

Music is the same way. Bands have the ability to be honest, to let us see who they really are. Like people, most put up fronts. The albums and bands that really stick with us are the ones that have allowed themselves to be vulnerable so that the listener can see inside and really feel what the lyricist feels. Watashi Wa, in their last ever album, have broken down all the walls and written an album that feels so intimate and so hauntingly familiar that it will stick with you for some time to come.

Eager Seas starts out with the gorgeous “Ten Years and Separating States.” The song begins as an acoustic strummer with the band speaking about living life the way they should. The beautiful and memorable chorus seems to be all about staying stagnant in life and the danger of doing nothing. All in all, the opening track is probably the album’s strongest. Another standout track on Eager Seas is “All That I Can’t Keep.” This track is more of the classic Watashi Wa indie pop sound that made them a favorite several years ago. Crunchy guitars, lush instrumentations, and singer Seth Roberts’ vulnerable voice makes this song perfect for listening to in the car with the windows rolled down. The message behind the song is one of wanting to live the good life, to be a good man, to do what is right, even when it’s hard. I think that is a struggle that many of us have, so the song has extra meaning to me.

A problem that some will have with Eager Seas is that while it is a beautiful and moving album, it is also a very heavy one. It is one of those albums that forces you to re-evaluate. If you really take a listen and try to ingest everything that is put out there by the band, I think you may come away with a strangely heavy heart. Not because the lyrics are sad or negative, they are just the opposite, but because they seem to challenge you. However, this may also be the thing that Watashi Wa should be commended the most for.

This may be the swan song for Watashi Wa as we know it, but if you are a fan, don’t worry too much as technically this is frontman Seth Roberts’ new band Eager Seas. The band was still under contract with Tooth and Nail and the label thought it would make more sense financially to release it under the name Watashi Wa. Eager Seas’ future releases will not be on T&N as they are in a different place sonically now, but I can’t imagine it will be too long before another label gives them a chance.

All in all, if you are looking for an album that will challenge you lyrically, one that will make you look at your beliefs, your values and your soul in a way that you wouldn’t normally do, Eager Seas could be the album of the year. This is the album that will ensure Watashi Wa’s legacy.

--Johnny Lintz

Author

JohnnyL

Last updated: 09/29/2009 08:54PM

Comments

danus

01/26/2006

06:05AM

my review matched up almost exactly the same. great review.

For The Sound :: My Website

xRinox

01/26/2006

11:08AM

Age: 31

Location
San Borja, Lima, Perú

Is that good? I'll give it a try. Btw someone should write a review of The Photo Atlas lp. Just found out about that band and kinda like it.

Anonymous

01/30/2006

01:21PM

If this cd is getting a 4 then it must be the complete opposite of their last cd because it honestly sucked pretty much all around. I have a hard time believing they could grow that much since their last cd, but who knows. Whichever way you slice it, though, I'm not going to be listening to this pop-punk junk.