When wave systems moving in different directions intersect, they create a phenomenon both dazzling and dangerous known as a cross sea. The surface has a mesmerizing appearance, as if quilted by unseen hands, while the depths below are unpredictable. Anna Mernieks-Duffield was out on tour with Ace of Wands when she blew a fuse in her amp. When the repairperson turned out to be Kevin S. McMahon, a producer of some renown (Swans, Real Estate, Pile, Titus Andronicus, The Walkmen), Anna decided to track the next album by her band Beams at Kevin’s studio, Marcata Recording, in New York’s Hudson Valley. She was so captivated with both the experience and the results, REQUIEM FOR A PLANET, she and Kevin became friends and found other ways to collaborate. The Cross Sea represents a new embodiment of this friendship’s collaboration: two wave systems intersecting, with unpredictable results.
Call it kismet: Kevin felt utterly exasperated with several aspects of making music and modern life, while Anna’s pregnancy produced a sense of urgency as a new life force was growing inside her. They were both in that place where many become lost and embittered, a dangerous liminal place of uncertainty between the end of an era and the beginning of something new. The time was ripe for the two to explore something different, with their friendship proving fertile ground to do so. Anna sent Kevin a batch of songs she was working on that didn’t feel right for Beams or Ace of Wands. There was a rawness, immediacy, and intensity to these home recordings that inspired him to layer instrumentation and ideas onto them instead of re-recording them from scratch. A visit from Anna to record more at his studio was joined by another friend of Kevin’s, Daniel Liss, a serendipitous swimming partner from a local mountain spot who had been trying to find his way back into music. His energy, enthusiasm, humility, and light touch helped keep the dangerous part of The Cross Sea in check and the surface dazzling just right.
The resulting album covers a lot of ground in a short time, from buzzy synths to pastoral banjo, from skeletal distorted riffs and vocal conjurings to bedroom lo-fi indie pop, from dueling dobros to bottom-dropping-out fuzz bass attacks. As usual with Anna’s songs, there are no simple three-chord affairs; her searching sound–often with unexpected changes, subtle hooks, and layered vocals–makes every song a journey, catchy and complicated at once. Kevin’s production gives its signature vibe and murk, shot through with moments of crystalline clarity and piercing beauty. Touchstones such as PJ Harvey, Kate Bush, and Big Thief inform the work in non-obvious ways. The immediacy of Anna’s urgently recorded new songs mixed with the well-worn melodies of older songs that never found a home, together with the cosmic timing of their collaboration, creates a compulsively listenable set of new songs that will be a balm to ears of fans of either’s work or a welcome new obsession for the uninitiated.
Name:
The Cross Sea
Genre:
Cinematic Art-Rock
Founded:
2024
# of Albums:
1
Latest Album:
Self-titled album
Latest Single:
Just Like Adrianne
Latest Video:
Favourite musician growing up:
Anna: Carol King (grabbing from a bag of many)
Kevin: Having only 1 of any of these favourites seems like it could not be possible for any actual musician. age 2-6- Adriana Caselotti, my mom, various Broadway singers, Yvonne Elliman, Julie Andrews, Peter Paul and Mary, Mama’s and the Papa’s, Aretha Franklin, Harry Nilsson, Three Dog Night. age 8- 11 Neil Diamond, Brothers Gibb, Barry Manilow, Ramones, Styx, Meatloaf, Beatles, Elton John, Heart age 12-19 Brian May, David Gilmour, Feddie Mercury, Bowie, Fripp, Neil Young, Edward Van Halen, Steve Howe, John McLauphlin, Prince, Eno, Paul McCartney, Jef Beck, Tony Levin, Billy Cobham, Bill Bruford, Phil Collins, Stewart Copeland, Jerry Marotta, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Steve Stevens, Miles Davis, Rush, The Clash, Tim Curry, everyone from Jesus Christ Superstar, Thelonius Monk, Ornette Coleman, Gil Evans, Charlie Parker, Yaz, Siouxsie Sioux, Pat Metheny, Patti Smith, Daniel Lanois, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Pixies, The Sugar Cubes, Grace Jones, George Harrison, Keef Richards, Allan Holdsworth, Jimmy Page, Peter Schilling, Bauhaus, The The, Crosby Stills, Nash & Young, XTC, Adrian Belew, Bill Nelson, Willy Nelson, The Blue Nile, Talking Heads, Pete Towshend, ELO……………….
Daniel: God, I love this list. And I could say: « same. » But I guess when I was a LITTLE kid, I went to over to my babysitter’s house and he played me Led Zeppelin II, and until then bc of my household, I’d only ever heard classical music. And I spent the rest of my childhood (until punk pulled me into its embrace) worshipping each of the members of the band in succession. (I freaked out so hard, he GAVE me his entire Led Zeppelin vinyl collection. So life sort of begins there…)
Favourite musician now:
A: Nnamdi
D: A streaming platform we all love to hate tells me for the last year, it’s been Courtney Barnett. And I’ll take it.
Guilty pleasure song:
A: “Miracle” by Paramore
D: Does listening to any one song dozens of times in a row qualify? Or is that a different problem?
Live show ritual:
A: Putting on eyeliner and testing whether my mic is going to shock me. And vocal warmups.
Favourite local musician:
That’s not fair, it’s like asking to say which kid’s your favourite! So many amazing musicians working in Toronto. I can’t answer that! See Zinnia, Skye Wallace, Aniqa Dear, Essie Watts, Isla Craig, The Cosmic Range, Burner, Slash Need, Johnny Borra, Future Now, Animatist, Wax Limbs, Silks, the list goes on and on.
EP or LP?
A: LP. Take me for a riiiide
K: LP
D: LP
Early bird or night owl?
A: Night owl that also has to get up early. *skull emoji*
K: If going to bed often when the birds are waking up means “night owl”- that
D: Early bird living in a world of night owls.
Road or studio?
A: With the right folks, both.
K: Duh (he’s a record producer)
Where can we follow you?
Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | Bandcamp
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Rapid Fire Local Questions:
What is your favourite local restaurant?
Maha’s
What is your favourite street in your city and why?
Kensington Ave in the Market. I like other streets for various reasons, but Kensington Ave is so vibrant and filled with treasures.
What is your favourite park in your city and why?
Biidaasige Park! We have a lot of great parks. But Biidaasige Park is so exciting for so many reasons.. the badlands, the zipline, the reclaimed river mouth, the owl, the unearthed seeds of ancient plants sprouting…
What is your favourite music venue in your city?
I feel very at home at the Baby G. For a bigger show, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is comfy.
What is your favourite music store in your city?
I’ll take this opportunity to hype up Baxter’s Vinyl. They’re tucked in behind The Greenwood cafe in Leslieville, and they have a great selection for such a little place.
