Album Review: The Appleseed Cast - Illumination Ritual

Album Rating: A-

If there's anything that helps The Appleseed Cast write their albums, it's experience above all else. While trying to move towards the post-rock sound, it's their background in emo-rock that keeps things different than the rest of the genre. Fusing the best elements of Two Conversations and their earlier experimental work Low Level Owls, Peregrine came into being; this emo post-rock was then evolved on Sagarmatha, which many thought was a perfect culmination between the two. However, the Kansas-centered project has something else to interject, and that would be Illumination Ritual. The musical maturity on this album is absolutely explicit, and there's no question that the band has mastered the sound they were looking for since 2006.

The Appleseed Cast

It's been a winding road for The Appleseed Cast fans in recent years. What with their signing to Graveface Records and the release of the mostly instrumental Sagarmatha, their days of paying tribute to their original musical roots by performing a mixture of emo and post-rock elements must seem out of earshot and out of mind for most fans. Fear not, as any trepidation for Appleseed Cast's evolution has been voided with the release of Middle States. Their newest EP on Graveface Records, Middle States is a perfect blend for someone like me who was not completely dissatisfied with Sagarmatha, but was left wishing for more presence from vocalist Chris Crisci and his unique contributions to the band's sound. But where their last release left a hole in my heart and their future left me pondering their direction, the aptly named Middle States fits perfectly. The EP fills the gap between their past musical niche and their continued trek down the roads of post-rock, containing everything from the emotional wisps of Crisci's distant calls being present in "End Frigate Constellation," to the fourteen minute instrumental opus "Three Rivers." If The Appleseed Cast has ever been worthy of your attention before, Middle States is well worth the return trip to their melodic world once again. You can purchase Middle States here.

Deep Elm Records

Deep Elm Records has one of the best catalogs I have seen in a record label in quite some time. From known bands like Moving Mountains and The Appleseed Cast to upcoming stars like Desoto Jones, Moonlit Sailor, and Goonies Never Say Die, Deep Elm knows what good music is. They stream practically every one of their albums on their site through Bandcamp, and allow many different purchasing options. If you like good Post-Rock, Emo, Punk, or Indie, check out many of the bands on the site, especially the ones listed above. Deep Elm also has 99 songs on samplers for free right here. Download them and post which artists you are fans of in the comments.