The Appleseed Cast "Peregrine" (Militia Group) Sounds like: A Jimmy Eat World, Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie pool party, drinks all around.
Grade: A-
Emo. Few subgenres of rock appeal to such a broad range of musical palettes, from the saccharine melancholia of Dashboard Confessional to the throat shredding intensity of From Autumn to Ashes. If Fall Out Boy represents more traditional modern emo, then The Appleseed Cast is the exact opposite. Throughout its 10-year career, The AC has been known for adventurous experimentalism, earning the criticism that the band is unable to synthesize its ideas effectively; however, with its recent album, "Peregrine," The AC comes remarkably close to nailing all those ideas with one fell swoop.
"Peregrine" is a whirlwind of musical textures and concepts. Layers of guitar fuzz and complex arrangements similar to post-rock groups such as Explosions in the Sky join the cathartic tones that have become a staple of emo. The band accomplishes this without sounding overly pretentious or stereotypical, two problems that plague many post-rock and emo bands, respectfully. As a result, the band creates an interesting, relevant and ambitious sound that is likeable by fans and enemies of emo. Most importantly, it maintains a genuine emotional feel that is missing from the cookie-cutter emo bands of today.
However, the album is not without its faults. While in some songs the band balances innovation with melody and aces it, some songs like "Fate Delivered" seem to lack the same spark of rest of the album.
On a whole, the album is a highly successful balance of both new and tried and true ideas. It may be less than perfection, but who cares when nearly perfect sounds this good?
-CAMERON CONWAY
Elvis Perkins "Ash Wednesday" (XL) Sounds Like: A sepia-toned Bright Eyes.
Grade: A
One can sink into Elvis Perkins' debut album "Ash Wednesday" as into an old, easy chair. Perkins is perhaps best described as a strange yet perfect cross between Bright Eyes and Bob Dylan. His folksy melodies and chill vocals are stirring, yet melancholic. The songs grow and evolve, and the addition of brass and string instrumentation as well as a chorus helps breathe spirit and lends a more playful side to the CD.
The album was recorded with a few musicians and friends not only in the studio but also in a Victorian home in Los Angeles. Live takes and improvisations help shape this album and evoke a homey, familiar sound.
The first track on "Ash Wednesday" sells the album. "While You Were Sleeping" starts simply, allowing the listener to be swept up by the positive pace and Perkins' voice, before blossoming with the addition of laid-back drumming and eventually a brass line. Perkins, who thinks of the album as having two "sides," considers the title track as the start of the second side. A pleading elegy, the title track serves as a nice contrast to the near lullaby "The Night & The Liquor" and the string-laced "Emile's Vietnam in the Sky."
And while some of the tracks blend into one another, the bare and prayer-like last track, "Good Friday," is a haunting finale that hangs on the air even after the album has ended. But listeners will find it hard not to listen to the album a couple more times.
-MICHELE WHITE
