SAN LORENZO – The Sea Is A Map (album) Posted by claire on Tuesday, October 23, 2001 Yeah, sadly the rumours are true, San Lorenzo have split. I’m getting the feeling that you don’t care though, when you really should. ‘The Sea Is A Map’ follows last year’s debut long player, ‘Nothing New Ever Works’ on Gringo Records, and brings together the groups rare early vinyl-only singles along with their most recent, and most distinguished recordings. Despite being a compilation of material from several different recording sessions, the album sits comfortably as a single piece of work. Tracks such as the superb ‘Polaroid’ straddle confidently between modern eclectics The Delgados and alternative legends Sonic Youth, full of crunching guitars but layered with elegant dexterity. San Lorenzo, full of versatility, prove how much they shall be missed by the devoted, leaping from ‘We Got Mysticism’, taking in moments of The Fall, to the introspective acoustic ‘Firefly’, and then mixing early Mogwai with Yo La Tengo on ‘Sports Biscuits’. As the final moments of ‘A Perfect Ending’ come to a close, Owen Tromans declares, “If you stop caring you should just stop”. He’s right of course, but for those who care, we’ve still got this. Andy Robbins