Appleseed Cast - Lost Songs

Anyone who reads my reviews on Pennyblackmusic regularly may have noticed that I drop the name of the Appleseed Cast regularly in my reviews. I consider them to be one of the best bands around at the moment. Yet, this is the first time I’ve actually reviewed them on the site. ‘Lost Songs’ is the band’s latest album, and is just that, in that the premise of the release is that it takes four old songs, all unreleased, and updates them with the new recording techniques the band has learnt, and then also has 5 brand new songs. The intention was to give the fans a record which unites the styles of the band's earlier material and their later work. The band started out as an emo band, and quite a good one. Their debut record, 'Mare Vitalis', is one of the scene's finer records, but on their 2001 'Low Level Owl' album they became genuine innovators. Two albums released separately but intended as a pair, the band combined their guitar rock approach with studio trickery to create an awesome soundscape. The band were clearly influenced by post-rock, but whereas bands like Tortoise come from an art-rock background, the Appleseed Cast’s emo roots ensured that they created something truly unique, and importantly, this stopped them from becoming pretentious. These two albums are absolute must hears, genuinely beautiful. ‘Lost Songs’ is in some respects a step back, in that songs like 'Peril Parts’ head back to their rockier roots. But the experience of 'Low Level Owl' ensures that even these songs bristle with intensity. ‘Peril Parts’ begins as a standard emo-rocker but ends up an astonishing six minute epic. This is a funny album; it’s hard to know if it’s a stop-gap or a major step for the band. Certainly, it’s less innovative than its predecessor, but compared to the 2 hours plus of the last record, it feels more cohesive and yet, because the band allow themselves the freedom to rock, it's more varied, and more explosive. In short, this album is tremendous, a must hear, but the jury's still out as to whether it’s as good as their last record.

Track Listing:-

1 E to W
2 Peril Parts 1, 2 and 3
3 Novice
4 Facing North
5 Take
6 State N W / K
7 House On A Hill
8 Beach Gray
9 Novice Ambient Cannibalization

Interviews

Interview with Aaron Pillar (2003)

Appleseed Cast - Interview with Aaron Pillar

One of the leading acts in the emo movement, the Appleseed Cast have now recorded four albums, and have meet with increasingly critical acclaim. Ben Howarth talks to founder member and guitarist about the group's career and successes to date