Spring Break
Watashi Wa - "Eager Seas"
By: Marc Brubaker
Issue date: 1/31/06 Section: Aggielife
"They're still building roads in the South/And we could see them all if we start driving now." These two lines are the beginning to "10 Years and Separating States," the first track off the newest and final album from Watashi Wa, "Eager Seas." With these lines, Seth Roberts invites listeners to follow along on a melodic journey.
The album had spent months in legal limbo before finally hitting shelves last Tuesday and will prove to be worth the wait for any devoted Watashi Wa fan or first-time listener. Roberts, the group's frontman, has a new supporting cast for this record, and his songwriting has matured even more from Watashi Wa's 2002 release, "The Love of Life."
From the melodic fade-in on "10 Years and Separating States" to the piano's closing notes on "Something to Say," the listener is carried along on waves of captivation, strung from song to song. The songs range from the slow and delicate "Something to Say" to the high-performance drive of "Free Ride," and, by creating this range, Watashi Wa proves that, rather than contentedly clinging to a tired standard, they are able to conquer a range of music with grace and style. Some of these songs can be heard in the background of various teen dramas on television now (such as "The O.C." or "One Tree Hill"), while other tracks range from folk to Beach Boys era surf-rock.
In this wide range of genres, Roberts utilizes his voice to draw everything together. The 22-year-old has been writing songs since age 13 (a topic he mentions in the song "Broken Man"), but these are no three-chord punk songs with halfway thought-out lyrics. The deep honesty and accessibility with which he tells stories engages and charms listeners, and Seth's thoughts seem to stream straight out of his head and into one's ear. His lyrics carry a simple grace about them, with both well-written sentences and incomplete thoughts coming together to form songs that seem to speak what is impossible to say.
Overall, the album is well-done, artfully crafted and highly enjoyable. This does not mean it is without faults, however, and while Roberts' voice is powerful and moving, there are moments on the album where he pushes them a little too far, reaching into the raspy region. Yet even in these moments there is a certain charm to the imperfection.
The album had spent months in legal limbo before finally hitting shelves last Tuesday and will prove to be worth the wait for any devoted Watashi Wa fan or first-time listener. Roberts, the group's frontman, has a new supporting cast for this record, and his songwriting has matured even more from Watashi Wa's 2002 release, "The Love of Life."
From the melodic fade-in on "10 Years and Separating States" to the piano's closing notes on "Something to Say," the listener is carried along on waves of captivation, strung from song to song. The songs range from the slow and delicate "Something to Say" to the high-performance drive of "Free Ride," and, by creating this range, Watashi Wa proves that, rather than contentedly clinging to a tired standard, they are able to conquer a range of music with grace and style. Some of these songs can be heard in the background of various teen dramas on television now (such as "The O.C." or "One Tree Hill"), while other tracks range from folk to Beach Boys era surf-rock.
In this wide range of genres, Roberts utilizes his voice to draw everything together. The 22-year-old has been writing songs since age 13 (a topic he mentions in the song "Broken Man"), but these are no three-chord punk songs with halfway thought-out lyrics. The deep honesty and accessibility with which he tells stories engages and charms listeners, and Seth's thoughts seem to stream straight out of his head and into one's ear. His lyrics carry a simple grace about them, with both well-written sentences and incomplete thoughts coming together to form songs that seem to speak what is impossible to say.
Overall, the album is well-done, artfully crafted and highly enjoyable. This does not mean it is without faults, however, and while Roberts' voice is powerful and moving, there are moments on the album where he pushes them a little too far, reaching into the raspy region. Yet even in these moments there is a certain charm to the imperfection.
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