Review Summary: Touching, Calming, and Exhilarating.
I think this tops The Four Trees
Let's review Caspian's history.
They're an underground, post-rock band formed in the fall of 2003 with roots in Beverly, Massachusetts. They recorded a few demos, then signed a record deal with Dopamine records and eventually recorded an EP, You are the Conductor, and a full-length album, The Four Trees. They've recently uploaded their newest album and they get money from the site's advertisements every time a song is downloaded. The money goes towards ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). I read this in a Sputnik article-
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/news.php?newsid=10144
Now for the Review, and by the way, this is my first one.
Mie- Mie is a typical post-rock song which builds and builds, then falls. I usually enjoy those kinds of songs but this one is just mediocre. 2.5/5
Le Cerva- This song continues where Mie left off. A steady bass line is heard throughout the song along with an awesome drum track. The guitars are heavily distorted for most of the song, but more so towards the end. 5/5
Ghosts of the Garden City- For the first 43 seconds, Vickers can barely be heard on the drums but then he comes crashing in with a steady beat. All the while, Joss is heard on his glockenspiel for most of the song. The song keeps building with a more upbeat drum track along with an audible bass. This ends abruptly and the last 30 seconds is a mystery to me. 4.5/5
Malacoda- Malacoda begins with an acoustic guitar setting the tone, but then the song becomes heavy. Nothing really stands out on this song for me except for the acoustic guitar at the beginning and the end. 3.5/5
Epochs in Dmaj- Epochs in Dmaj is simply beautiful. Although it is the shortest song on Tertia, coming in at 3:20, it is a great listen. Once again, Joss does a wonderful job on the glockenspiel. The lack of drums would usually be a con but not in this case. 5/5
Of Foam and Wave- A rather slow beginning turns into a faster song as more instruments chime in. The middle of this song is the highlight for me on this album. For a moment, an acoustic guitar is all that is heard then the electric guitar flows into the song. Vickers slowly picks up the tempo with his bass drum and the song is like a runaway freight train picking up speed. The climax of this song finally ends at 5:30. A piano is played for the last 30 seconds. This section is so simple, Stephen Hawking could play it, but yet, it is beautiful. 6/5
Concrescence- Concrescence begins with a complex guitar riff. Another guitar joins in along with a slow drum beat. The second guitar plays something like a guitar solo half way through, which fits the song perfectly. The song fades out as it did in the beginning. 4.5/5
The Raven- The Raven starts out very slow with another drum beat by Vickers and a guitar. This fades out, and just as you begin to struggle to hear it, a guitar jumps in along with heavy distortion and a groovy bass line. It slows down with another complex guitar riff and a bass drum chuggin' along. The Raven then speed up again only to slow down to the same complex riff, but this time it is accompanied by an acoustic guitar. The song ends with distortion, then silence. 5/5
Vienna- The beginning of this song is a mystery to me. A guitar is heard once in awhile, but the same sound is heard for the entire song. The song is almost the same through and through, the weird sound along with a guitar. This was an okay song. 3/5
Sycamore- The final song of this album does not disappoint. It has all the aspects of the album in one song. It has slow, calming parts in the beginning, along with a nice drum track in the middle, and an upbeat tempo. The ending was just how I wanted the album to close, with a change of pace on the drums by Vickers. Go listen to this song right now. The last 2 minutes are gold. 5/5
Caspian is:
Philip Jamieson - guitars, keys, sampling, programming
Calvin Joss - guitar, glockenspiel
Chris Friedrich - bass
Joe Vickers - drums
Erin Burke-Moran - guitar
1. Mie 4:10
2. La Cerva 4:59
3. Ghost of the Garden City 7:31
4. Malacoda 5:04
5. Epochs in Dmaj 3:20
6. Of Foam and Wave 6:16
7. Concrescence 4:26
8. The Raven 7:10
9. Vienna 6:15
10. Sycamore 9:06
Recommended Tracks:
Sycamore
Of Foam and Wave
The Raven
Ghosts of the Garden City
Le Cerva
After analyzing this album, I've decided its a classic in my book.
