Six month ago Peter Buck (R.E.M., the Minus 5) and Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Mad Season) unveiled the debut album from the Silverlites, their supergroup with the Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson and singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur. Now Buck and Martin are announcing another supergroup called Drink The Sea with Alain Johannes and Duke Garwood. The new band Drink the Sea. It features well, pretty much everybody – all roads sort of leads to Alain Johannes
Beside others. The instrumentation, moods and overall feel reminds me of Robert Plant’s Dreamland (which is just incredible record) and Mighty ReArranger. Just a perfect soundtrack to autumnal misty mornings. It adds some mystical (or may I call it “misty-cal”? atmosphere.
Opening track ‘Shaking For The Snakes’. It’s a piece of musical voodoo direct from the Deep South that’s ushered forwards by Barrett Martin’s (The Screaming Trees) unique drumming that is at once expressive and understated. With the aid of Lisette Garcia’s percussion, the pair create rich and rarely heard rhythms that open up avenues for the band which will be explored over the following 90-minutes.
Anyone who knows the work of guitarists Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Duke Garwood (Mark Lanegan Band) will testify that they largely eschew the “guitar god” template, preferring to add texture and shade, rather than endless noodling, and they weave a rich tapestry throughout. All too often in rock music, the bass is hidden deep in the mix as a supplementary instrument (and The Doors largely dispensed with a bassist) but on these two discs Alain Johannes is given a more prominent role, acting as a compass that signposts future travel (and with a rumble of which Lemmy would be proud on ‘Land Of Spirits’). However, each band member is a multi-instrumentalist and plays a wide variety of strings and skins, and with three members providing vocals, Drink The Sea paint their sound from a palette so wide, most other bands would be green with envy.
That no two songs inhabit the same sonic space is testament to Drink The Sea’s prowess and they draw inspiration from all parts of the globe. Subsequently, Arabic flourishes rub shoulders with motorik beats, and sometimes both at the same time (such as on ‘House Of Flowers’ where east meets west) and the band’s genius lies in bringing these disparate elements together and tying them into a cohesive whole.
You feel that Drink The Sea is a true democracy, egos have been left at the door and the songs have been allowed to grow organically. It’s an approach that gives “I & II” a cinematic quality, albeit the dark filmic aesthetic of Tarantino, and the guitars often have an Ennio Morricone feel (especially on ‘Sweet As A Nut’) and that gives things a dreamy, otherworldly vibe that transports the listener from this world to another plane.
This double set reminds me of the whole vinyl experience. The act of turning over a piece of vinyl is an often overlooked part of playing wax, but it is vitally important; like the intermission at a cinema or the end of an act at the theatre, it’s a moment where you digest what you’ve heard and anticipate what’s to come and that’s just the vibe changing discs creates.
There’s a clear direction of travel over the two albums and when we reach final track ‘Butterfly’ it feels as if we have arrived at our destination, things wind down and become increasingly stark. But as with most endings, ‘Butterfly’ suggests there’s much more to come from Drink The Sea.
Musicians are a funny breed and putting several respected and talented musicians together is no sure sign of success. Band chemistry is a discipline well outside the realms of human science and is part luck, part chance. Those chemicals will either fizz and sparkle and set off a chain reaction, or fall flat like an uncorked wine. However, with Drink The Sea I’m pleased to report that they very much fall in the former category as attested by their recent debut and sophomore albums (imaginatively titled I and II). Those two records now get collected as a double set, twenty two tracks that hang together as a unified whole and suggest that this band is going to stick around for a long while.
Drink The Sea is a new supergroup formed by Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Barrett Martin, along with Duke Garwood, Alain Johannes, and Lisette Garcia. They are set to release two albums, “Drink The Sea I” and “Drink The Sea II“, with their debut single “Outside Again” already available.
The group is known for blending rock with global influences, featuring instruments like the Arabic oud and Indonesian gamelan. They will embark on a world tour in 2026, with performances scheduled in January and February.
Peter Buck Duke Garwood Alain Johannes Barrett Martin Lisette Garcia
Don’t wait to give them a listen!
The Fat Angel Sings 