Posts Tagged: the appleseed cast

1998 / 3 stars / reviews / the appleseed cast — No Comments
27
Apr 09

The End of the Ring Wars (1998) by The Appleseed Cast

the end of the ring wars by the appleseed cast

The Appleseed Cast
The End of the Ring Wars
1998, Deep Elm Records
emo, indie rock
3½

One of my favorite things as a music lover and the blogger here is to find the old albums of a band or an artist I particularly like. I came across this debut of The Appleseed Cast, and like many other debut albums by other artists, it was almost completely dissimilar to their most recent work. This album has a harder, more desperate (not in a good way) edge to it that brings to mind a child trying to make their mark on the world rather than a group sharing their inspiration to a listener. It’s been lambasted enough by more popular critics so I won’t completely disparage it. After all, it was a product of the times (think Sunny Day Real Estate) and there were still hints of what they would become in “On Sidewalks” and “The Last Ring.” A must for the diehard AC fan, but not necessarily for anyone else.

“On Sidewalks,” “The Last Ring,” “Marigold & Patchwork.”
myspace, last.fm
The Appleseed Cast’s Peregrine, Poets of the Fall’s Revolution Roulette

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2009 / 4 stars / reviews / the appleseed cast — No Comments
26
Mar 09

Sagarmatha (2009) by The Appleseed Cast

Sagarmatha by The Appleseed Cast

The Appleseed Cast
Sagarmatha
2009, The Militia Group
post-rock, indie
4½

If Peregrine was The Appleseed Cast’s epic concept album, Sagarmatha is their most aesthetically pleasing. While not as cohesive, there is a certain honesty and root-sy rock throughout Sagarmatha that lifts this album to the top of the post-rock heap. Over time, it seems the band has learned that the simplest beats are the most unique. They’ve returned to their roots in End of Ring Wars, softened their sound, and managed to create something new in the process. This will probably be the understated great album of their career and of this year’s releases.

“The Summer Before,” “South Facing Col,” “An Army of Fireflies.”
myspace, last.fm
Explosion in the Sky’s The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, As Tall As Lions’s self-titled album

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2006 / 4 stars / reviews / the appleseed cast — No Comments
25
Mar 09

Peregrine (2006) by The Appleseed Cast

Peregrine by The Appleseed Cast

The Appleseed Cast
Peregrine
2006, The Militia Group
post-rock, alt rock
4½

While one could argue that The Appleseed Cast always create concept albums, Peregrine is probably their most cohesive and conceptual album to date. Centered around the story of a young girl who is murdered by her father and returns to haunt him, this album is filled with bare-boned rock and soaring lyric-less pieces. Peregrine is patterned more on Two Conversations than their older albums, but it showcases a maturity of sound. With lead singer Chris Crisci’s abrasive voice and their cryptically spare lyrics, Appleseed Cast probably ensnared more listeners with Peregrine than with any of their previous work.

“Here We Are (Family in the Hallways),” “Silas’s Knife,” “Sunlit and Ascending.”
myspace, last.fm
The Appleseed Cast’s Two Conversations, Years of Rice and Salt’s Service Bell EP

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