Taking a cue from Jack London’s 1904 nautical adventure, Alex Church named his musical endeavor Sea Wolf and set forth into chamber country/rock waters. The result is pretty, atmospheric music that would serve well as the soundtrack to many a London novel.

White Water, White Bloom, Sea Wolf’s third release, was produced by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk) and released on Dangerbird Records this past September. The band also contributed “The Violet Hour” to the star-studded New Moon soundtrack.

We caught up with Church in the midst of Sea Wolf’s current tour to discuss books, romance, the city and the sea.

Stranger Dance: Your music has a literary angle with your references to Jack London and your contribution to Augusten Burroughs’ A Wolf at the Table. Do you feel your music is especially literary?
Alex Church: Maybe, I don’t know. I don’t think of it that way. It always starts with a melody and a feeling, those are the things I really want to get at in a song. For me, the lyrics are just a way of bringing that feeling and that melody to life.

SD: You’re on the New Moon soundtrack. What made you decide to contribute?
AC: We were asked to do it fairly late in the game. By then, bands like Grizzly Bear, Thom Yorke, Death Cab for Cutie and Bon Iver and a bunch of other great bands were all doing it. The idea of being on something with all of those guys is what appealed to me the most.

The track of mine they wanted was an unreleased track we recorded a year ago. It’s not a typical Sea Wolf song, it’s a bit more pop then we usually do, and wouldn’t have fit on our record, so we were saving it for something like this.

SD: Please tell us about working with Mike Mogis.
AC: Mike was so great! An exceptionally talented and sweet guy. He got the music right away and we were pretty in-sync the whole time. He brought a lot of great ideas and energy into the studio, and even played on quite a bit of the album. He has that rare blend of a detail oriented, scientific mind, and great musical talent, and was able to record some great sounds and some great parts. He was able to understand and get down all of the things I wanted, and had a few extra tricks up his sleeve. I’m really happy with how the album turned out.

SD: Do you feel like your music better suited for the city or the wilderness?
AC: Hard to say since I can’t separate myself from it to be able to listen to it objectively. I would probably say both, since the music touches upon both. Maybe it’s great for the city dweller to listen to while driving through the wilderness? Or the other way around?

SD: The music has a romantic feel. Do you consider yourself a romantic?
AC: Definitely. But not in a sappy way. I hope.

SD: Favorite place to travel?
AC: New York City/Yosemite National Park

SD: What inspires your music?
AC: Whatever mood I’m in.

SD: What are you listening to?
AC: Well, we’re on tour with [San Francisco's] Port O’Brien and Sara Lov, so I’ve been listening to them every – single – night. Luckily they’re both great.

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