Who's Your New Professor

Amazon.com
This second solo release by the leader of The Sea and Cake is a perfectly rendered miniature. Not only do the eleven songs have the feel of table-top sized vignettes, but the entire set clocks in respectably under thirty-eight minutes. Near-tropical rhythms, coupled with frisky and layered strumming, give this album a feel more removed from the friendly urban architecture of his other work, both solo and with his band. A visual artist as well as a musician, the songs seem informed by a painter's eye, as Prekop works all areas of the canvas into a integrated whole. Working with the same small ensemble as previously, there's a casual surface to the proceeds that slowly reveal finely wrought writing and arrangements and unusual tunings. -- David Greenberger

Product Description
Five years after he stepped out of the tall shadow of his other band, The Sea And Cake, Prekop returns with another pop masterpiece of breezy, crisp, offbeat pop perfection with "Who's Your New Professor". Features Archer Prewitt, Chad Taylor, Rob Mazurek and Josh Abrams.

Who's Your New Professor,Sam Prekop,Thrill Jockey,Indie Pop,Indie Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Who's Your New Professor

Average customer rating:

Very good and almost classic indie pop - you'll like this a lot - 4.5 stars
Just my style
Who's your prof?
A Blanket of Red Wine
let it be

Who's Your New Professor
Sam Prekop
Manufacturer: Thrill Jockey
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Sam Prekop
The Sea and Cake
The Fawn
The Biz
White Sky

ASIN: B0007KTIQU
Release Date: 2005-03-08

Tracks:

Something
Magic Step
Dot Eye
Two Dedications
Chicago People
Little Bridges
A Splendid Hollow
C & F
Neighbor To Neighbor
Density
Between Outside

Amazon.com

This second solo release by the leader of The Sea and Cake is a perfectly rendered miniature. Not only do the eleven songs have the feel of table-top sized vignettes, but the entire set clocks in respectably under thirty-eight minutes. Near-tropical rhythms, coupled with frisky and layered strumming, give this album a feel more removed from the friendly urban architecture of his other work, both solo and with his band. A visual artist as well as a musician, the songs seem informed by a painter's eye, as Prekop works all areas of the canvas into a integrated whole. Working with the same small ensemble as previously, there's a casual surface to the proceeds that slowly reveal finely wrought writing and arrangements and unusual tunings. -- David Greenberger

Album Description

Five years after he stepped out of the tall shadow of his other band, The Sea And Cake, Prekop returns with another pop masterpiece of breezy, crisp, offbeat pop perfection with "Who's Your New Professor". Features Archer Prewitt, Chad Taylor, Rob Mazurek and Josh Abrams.

Customer Reviews:

Very good and almost classic indie pop - you'll like this a lot - 4.5 stars.......2006-01-12

If there's one thing to say about Sam Prekop (formerly of The Sea & Cake), it's that he definitely has found his sound. I don't know who else to compare him to. As for this album, every song here is good, though none stand out as "great". Sam has a pretty good voice, but it's not perfect - I think it could be a little better. The instrumentation is actually pretty interesting here, as it *sounds* creative and inspired. It's not amazing, but it sounds inspired. The lyrics tend to be hard to hear, but they aren't that interesting anyway - you won't really be listening to them. Fortunately, one of the cool things about "Who's Your New Professor" is that it also makes pretty good background music. Overall, the album is very good, and I think indie pop and Sea & Cake fans will really like this album. I would hesitate to give it a "5", though. All things aside this is still highly recommended!

Highlights include:
the entire album!

Just my style.......2005-05-25

This album is just my style. I must say that this is my first taste ever of Sam Prekop, so I didn't have any exposure to his earlier works to compare this to (I don't know if that's a good thing or not). Definitely good study music (or background music), but also equally good to listen to intently. However, I could see how this album may not suit everyone, as it's quite mellow.

Who's your prof?.......2005-05-01

I love the Sea and Cake. I really do, and I have ever since first hearing their unique, smooth, airy pop music. Which is why it pained me to pan S&C frontman Sam Prekop's first solo album, which was as flavorless and lightweight as a marshmallow eaten by a Novocained mouth.

Fortunately, Prekop has tightened up his solo sound in "Who's Your New Professor." There's more flavour, more intense sounds and fewer generic instrumentals. It's still way too mellow for its own good, but it also shows Prekop's music in a far better light. If only it had a little more heart.

Anyone who has heard his Sea and Cake work, and his solo debut, will know what to expect: mellow pop melodies, mostly played on guitar, with a bit of bossa nova. Prekop sings as if half in a very pleasant dream. His music itself brings to mind a nap on a warm summer day in a hammock, and listening to a guy next door playing the guitar.

Enough with the metaphors... on to the critique.

Prekop definitely has a gift for airy melodies and smooth-as-glass production, with bits of grit thrown in to keep it from feeling TOO airy. If smoothness were enough to carry an album all by itself, then "Who's Your Professor" would be a future classic. It's a pleasant listen, at least while you actually have it on.

What "Who's Your Professor" lacks is quirkiness. Except for his trademarked bossa nova edging, there really isn't much to make these songs memorable -- they're pretty and airy and relaxing, but then again, so are feathers. The ambient sound means that the music seems to just start when it begins, meanders for awhile, and stops when it ends.

The guitar playing and jazzy drumming add a pleasantly catchy note to some songs like "Little Bridges," but too often Prekop just sounds halfhearted, as if he's sleepwalking through the production. Fortunately his drowsy singing makes up for that somewhat; his vocals are soothing in themselves, and nobody does this sort of jazzy-ambient singing better.

But despite some pleasant instrumentation and lovely vocals, "Who's Your New Professor" lacks the punch and heart that it needs to be memorable. Pleasant while it lasts, invisible when it's done.

A Blanket of Red Wine.......2005-04-12

I've always found solo projects both interesting and rewarding after first hearing the subject's group offerings. Pointedly, they allow a glimpse into the construction of the larger vehicle.
In considering Sam Prekop one can discern the richly sown rhythms he offers his fellow band mates of the Sea and Cake (with Archer Prewitt weaving intricate pop melodies as John McEntire percussively brings them both together).
With Who's Your New Professor, he continues to prove his worth as a master craftsman, offering eleven tracks of material steeped in exotic, soothing tones. Both a visual and audio artist, Prekop's work here shows definitive maturity and timeliness.
With the first few bars of track one, Something, the listener is exposed to Prekop's signature vocal melodies and near Bossanova rhythms. From there, the album progresses naturally and seamlessly. Though equally as masterful as his previous solo work, Who's Your New Professor seems both tighter in construction and slightly more exploratory.
All in all, a beautiful addition to a Sunday drive, a relaxing evening at home, or a fine bottle of red wine.

let it be.......2005-03-25

The following reviews show where reviews go wrong. When you listen to music you might not disect it into peices to hear it better. It's malpractice. If you liked Sam Prekop before, then he won't disappoint you. His voice is smooth and his style is his own. Good for him and I hope he keeps making great music.

Average customer rating:

Who's Your New Professor

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0007OE7P8
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Album Description

Japanese pressing from Sam Prekop (The Sea & Cake), this is his 2nd album and it is a wonderful collection of songs with help from Josh Abrams on acoustic bass, Archer Prewitt, special guest John McEntire, Rob Mazurek & Chad Taylor. Includes 2 bonus tracks 'Ninety Nine' & 'North South'. Thrill Jockey. 2005.