The Saxophones Take Us to ‘Eternity Bay’ (album stream) (premiere)

Eternity Bay is the sophomore release from the husband-and-wife duo the Saxophones and arrives on 6 March via Full Time Hobby. With Alexi Erenkov on vocals, guitar, synths and woodwinds and Alison Alderdice on drums and vocals, the Bay Area duo blend surf pop, exotica, and West Coast jazz with a sense of authenticity and affection. That said, The Saxophones aren’t a museum piece: there’s a vitality and freshness to the music and a sense of humor that informs material such as “New Taboo” and “Forgot My Mantra”.

Recorded and produced by Cameron Spies (Radiation City) in Portland, Oregon and mixed by Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart) in Los Angeles, the record carries a breeziness throughout, reminiscent of a warm Bay Area afternoon as reflected in “Living in Myth”, “You Fool” and the titular piece. Jazz flourishes crop up across the album and add a tastefulness that adds dimension to pieces such as the haunting, M. Ward-ish “Zendo” and the opening “Lamplighter”.

Smart, sophisticated, but never overly complicated, Eternity Bay is the kind of record you’ve been waiting for even if you didn’t know it. It will please both your emotional and intellectual cravings.