THE UNSPARING SEA - Influenced by "literature."

Like the music they create, J.R. and Robyn Bennett attest, "We're not really of this time period." "We're entrenched in another time, I guess," says J.R. Bennett. "We're not very modern people. We don't have cell phones, cable TV or the Internet. The Internet kind of creeps me out a little bit. It's definitely a tool for promoting music. It's something I have to use."

Unsparing Sea is a six-member band comprising J.R. and Robyn Bennett on vocals/guitar and keyboard/organ, respectively, Akron Symphony Orchestra cellist Tara Klein, bassist David Maison, drummer Ethan Wilt, and Sarah Wormsworth on saw and glockenspiel. The songs they've fashioned with this eclectic mix of instruments are thick with themes of seafaring, wanderlust and getting lost in the fog. On their new album, Cloud in the Cathedral, leisurely string arrangements paired with the mechanical discord of the saw quickly bring to mind tall ships and billowing sails.

"There's something romantic about ships and the sea," says Bennett, but it's not just the sea that he's wrestling with. Superb tracks like "National Guard" and "A Lion With No Teeth" are fraught with a quiet anxiety. Bennett's lilting voice rings out over the music like a humble shiphand giving the dinner call, but his lyrics demonstrate a profound reverence for the unfathomable.

"Some of the songs are really inspired by literature," he says.

That literature deals with striking out on your own. J.R. lists a few of the books and authors who've influenced the band's music. "Hemingway, Salinger ... I think Robyn's got a copy in her purse." (Robyn looks toward her satchel. "I actually do. It's sad.") "Jack Kerouac. Lonesome Traveler, On the Road. You can't hitchhike or hop trains anymore. There's sort of romanticism about these things, I think."

There's an Americana whimsy to J.R.'s musical ideology that isn't unfounded. J.R. and Robyn both hail from Nashville. "I did start out recording songs in my bedroom with a four-track cassette recorder. I played writers' nights in Nashville and stuff and met some really cool people." Looking for a change, J.R. and Robyn took a chance on Cleveland and don't seem to have many regrets.

"We just wanted to see what the Cleveland music scene was like, see what happened from there," he says. "Everyone's been really welcoming. Everyone shares drummers and apartments. It's a very tight-knit thing."

Despite an obvious appreciation for wayfaring and roughing it, J.R. and Robyn aren't starving artists by any means. J.R. works in design at a downtown architectural firm (he designed all the packaging materials for the new album himself), and Robyn works at a downtown law firm. Interestingly enough, not one member of Unsparing Sea is originally from Cleveland.

Countrified Nashville influences pop up on Cloud in the Cathedral, like on "Where Serpents Held Esteem" and "I Wasn't There," a swaggering, banjo-wielding romp which alludes to the whiskey-sour heart of country & western with lyrics such as "When an absolution comes and all the myths you've conjured up/and all your books and wars must end/God knows when you pretend."

"Growing up in Nashville, you sort of rebel against country music," he says. "Country pop certainly is stupid." J.R. and Robyn then pause to acknowledge the greatness of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. "I would say my keyboard playing is a lot like the legendary Bob Dylan," Robyn says with a laugh. Still, in its fantastical scope, Unsparing Sea has more in common with Neutral Milk Hotel and the Arcade Fire, which they list among more contemporary kindred spirits. "We do like Arcade Fire. A new one for us is Dr. Dog. Dr. Dog is where it's at, I believe. It's music like ours that sounds like it's from a different time, but still manages to sound fresh."

Cloud in the Cathedral was recorded in August and September at Zombie Proof Studios in just six days. Nate of the X-Bolex produced the record, which is now available on the band's Web site, unsparingsea.com. Unsparing Sea have played out sparingly (sorry!) in the past two years since they formed, but now that they have a solid album to push, they'll be doing as many shows as possible in the coming months. First, they'll be opening for the band Unwed Sailor at the Grog Shop on Dec. 3.

"We really want to get people to the Grog Shop," J.R. says. "We're hoping to do a few mini-tours in the near future -Michigan, Indiana, New York. Our big goal now is to play lots of shows, so keep an eye out for us."

Unwed Sailor, This Will Destroy You, Unsparing Sea

9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3

Grog Shop

2785 Euclid Heights Blvd.

216.321.5588

Tickets: $8