There are probably a number of people who will listen to Sarah Slean’s new double album, Land & Sea, and say, “My, how much she’s matured.” Which is bullshit. Maturity in music is almost always synonymous with boring. And boring personifies the second half of her latest effort. Sea is crap. There are strings! They sweep! And, hold on to your butts, they swoop. If you like “Moon River,” then the Sea side might be for you. But if you were born in the ‘80s or ‘90s, you probably expect your music to be, what’s the word, interesting. Land is far more lively and, if taken on its own, actually constitutes a good album despite the heinous misstep that is “Everybody’s on TV.” But even then there’s a softness to it, a lack of edge. It’s a little bit like being mauled by a plush tiger. Sure it’s a tiger, and that’s cool, but it’s soft and squishy to the extent that even a song like “Amen,” the album’s best, sounds a little fake. In general, the Land half of the is solid. It’s just that if you like to bleed alongside your music, this is not for you.
