I felt all giddy when I checked my inbox this morning and found a note from Sea Wolf’s publicist, Juliana Plotkin. As we reported in April, Alex and company have been sequestered in Omaha for the past month recording new material with Mike Mogis. Today”s update from Juliana contained the exciting news of a September release for Sea Wolf’s Sophomore LP. I’m counting down the days and voyeuristicly watching the recording progress via bassist Ted Liscinski’s “Life in a Van” photo blog. Full progress report with quotes from Alex after the jump.
From Juliana Plotkin, “Lured by the multi-cultural aura of Montreal, Church relocated from L.A., took time off from touring and began generating content for a new record. Soaking in the foreign territory, he allowed his outsider’s perspective to guide his prose. “Being somewhere new, away from your home, you spend a lot of time observing and reflecting,” Church revealed, “And just the feeling of a new city can inspire new ideas, new places to explore in your music.”
The California-based songwriter has since burrowed himself and his band inside producer Mike Mogis’ A.R.C recording studios in Omaha. Best known as a member and producer of Bright Eyes, as well as for his work with Rilo Kiley and M. Ward, Mogis was hand-picked after the two realized they shared a common vision for Church’s second full-length. “I had a pretty clear idea of how I wanted the record to sound, particularly the drums and vocals,” Church offered. ” I had a feeling Mike could do it based on the sounds of his previous records, and when we finally got on the phone about it, I just got a good feeling from him. He seemed to really get what I wanted to do.”
While Leaves was written as a solo artist, the album’s lush orchestrations were fully realized on the road with the help of a sextet. For these new sessions, Church is looking to encapsulate the dynamism that one can only create with a full band. “I wanted this record to capture the energy of the live show and the feel of the band as it is now. It’s going to be a bit fuller and more dynamic than Leaves.” Three of the touring members of Sea Wolf are currently alongside Church, contributing to the work in progress.
The as-yet-untitled sophomore album will be released in September on Dangerbird Records.
