Bodies of Water - Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink (2007)

Los Angeles indie pop group Bodies of Water pursue the extravagance of the Polyphonic Spree and Arcade Fire by incorporating American traditional folk, theater, and an admiration of gospel. While the lineup would expand to up to 11 people, the core members early on were Meredith Metcalf (organ); Meredith's husband, David Metcalf (guitar); Kyle Gladden (bass), and Jessie Conklin (drums) -- with all four sharing vocal duties. Following an EP, the band self-released the full-length Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink on their own Thousand Tongues label in July 2007. Deemed "sparkling and expansive" by Spin magazine, the album enjoyed enough critical acclaim to pique the interest of Secretly Canadian. The record label signed Bodies of Water to its roster in November, and several months later, in January 2008, Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink was re-released to an international audience. They followed up with A Certain Feeling later in 2008. With bassist Laura Steenberge and drummer Noah Smith replacing Gladden and Conklin, the band's third full-length, Twist Again, arrived in mid-2011.
Bodies of Water fell out of sight for next several years as members played with other bands (Music Go Music, the Confessions, the Coast) and continued to write, record, and set aside music. When they accumulated a set of material that they wanted to share, it took the form of Spear in the City, released by Secretly Canadian in the summer of 2017. ~ Kenyon Hopkin