Here's an album I've been waiting for since early this year. When I heard Black Eyed Sceva (pronounced "See-vah") on their demo in March, I knew this group would be worth tracking. Their debut, Way Before The Flood, has finally arrived, and I'm glad to report that it more than meets my hopes for their future. This young Santa Barbara band combines thoughtful lyrics with pop sensibilities and dashes of progressive rock elements reminiscent of other three-man bands like King's X and Rush.
Produced by fellow Santa Barbaran (and sometime member of Toad the Wet Sprocket) Bruce Winter, Sceva takes a fairly raw approach to their college-oriented modern rock. Most of these songs probably would not sound much different performed live, though the album occasionally finds embellishment in extra guitars or a cello. Guitarist Jeremy Post brings the band a precision style surpassing the skills of most "alternative" bands, and Brad McCarter and Brent Nims (on bass and drums, respectively) give the rhythm section a fun, unpredictable feel.
Post also offers lyrics of astonishing clarity and emotion. Curiously, he's at his best when discussing tough issues out of his life and his friends' experiences, like parental abandonment (in "Adrien James"), the fear of unwed fatherhood (in "Mudhouse"), and homosexuality (in "Handshake"). This last song gives the most comprehensive treatment I can think of on the thorny issue of Christians reacting to those with AIDS. Actually, I can't even think of another Christian song with the courage to broach this subject, which Post addresses with compassion and dignity.
The lyrics fare less well on more abstract musings, as in "Cleverness" and "Comte's Perspective," which try to both explain and then refute non-Christian worldviews within four minutes of music. Sceva also suffers a mild difficulty in distinguishing their songs sonically from each other, though not as much as their mood-rock labelmates My Brother's Mother. "Adrien James," "Handshake," and the mysterious closing song "Nail Holes" bring a different palette of sounds to the album, and more experimentation in this direction might be in order, as might a faster tempo on some of the more upbeat songs. I don't know who started the "hidden bonus track at the end of the CD" trend which has spread like a weed across the yard of popular music, but these now-obligatory "encores" are getting a little old in general, and I for one would rather have the "bonus" song get credited so I can have the lyrics, or at least the song title.
But these are minor complaints with a generally swell album. Black Eyed Sceva offers an intriguing, fun sound, at turns profound and humorous. Way Before The Flood is a way better album than a fledgling band should expect, and hopefully Sceva soon will be flooded with new fans as a result of this excellent freshman effort.
Other coverage for this album
Heaven's Metal #54Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThis popular West Coast band delivers some high quality tunes that would best be classified as melodic with an acoustic 'n' jangly guitar twist. I hear Rick Elias and John Thompson (Wayside) in the vocals of Jeremy Post. The songs are the strong point here, as the hooks strike quickly and leave you wanting more. Former Toad The Wet Sprocket bassist produced the album very well (ribbit!). The band…7ball #1Reviewed by Chris WellIt's difficult to pinpoint exactly what's most compelling about Way Before the Flood, the label debut from Black Eyed Sceva (pronounced "see-va") - there is so much to absorb. From the opening strum and jangle of "Justified" it's apparent this musical package is hard to beat: Hailing from the same post-modern folk/rock territory of, say, Toad The Wet Sprocket and Gin Blossoms, Jeremy Post…Similar sounding releases
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