Review Summary: #blessed #untilthelighttakesus #dontbeajerk #lifeistooshort #liveloverepent
One of the more interesting bands to burst upon the modern post-rock scene is Finland's Cassie. Much like their Swedish next door neighbors in Moonlit Sailor, Cassie play a whimsical form of post-rock albeit with a bit more variety. Since their inception in 2011 Cassie has put out a string of EP's. Their most recent is called Old Light and the music is just as stunning as it's cover art. Consisting of three tracks and nearly twenty minutes of run-time it is certainly not a lengthy affair. However brief Old Light may be is of no consequence because the material presented here is certainly worth your time.
The most prominent aspect of Old Light is that it is being driven by the soothing vocals of front-woman Sofia Thúren. She is the captain of this ship of talented musicians. She consistently maintains a heavenly presence over the booming tremolo picked lines, occasional male screams and intimate string arrangements courtesy of the Old Light String Orchestra. The music can alternate between quiet instrumentals and explosive chug fests in the traditional post-rock mold. Although typical of the genre this approach works extremely well with Cassie, especially since they have a captivating pop sensibility to help stretch the boundaries of their chosen genre a bit. The songwriting is a perfect marriage between the free flowing, melancholic nature of post-rock and the more rhythmic and up-tempo nature of alternative/pop rock all the while being packaged into accessible song lengths.
The music feels like it was effortlessly created somewhere high in the clouds, perhaps because of the hopeful aura and laid-back demeanor that Old Light projects. All that combined with the close musical bond between these musicians. The bond is quite apparent to the listener, casual or seasoned, and it is certainly projects itself as the greatest strength of Cassie. I can only imagine what they can accomplish musically if they are given the time and resources to put out a full-length. Regardless, Old Light is a charming listen that should find a home in many of your libraries.
