More technical than tuneful. But, hot damn, is this album cool or what?
Sometimes there's things that are just cool. You can't really explain why or how they came to be cool, but it'll be a brisk one in the devil's domain if they aren't just flat out cool. This album is one of those cases. I mean, try hearing this album in any context and talking bad about it. It won't happen. Because it's just a really solid record. And, more than anything else, it really introduces what would become that signature Appleseed sound. In many ways, this is the quintessential Appleseed Cast album: Chris Crisci's low-in-the-mix and extremely passionately wailing vocals; the subtle, yet still quite epic build-ups; amazing drumming; and that undeniably great consistent and melodic electric guitar strum. Really, these guys are kings of layered guitars. For two guitars and a bass, they really make this stuff sound a lot fuller than it is. Which brings up an interesting point: this stuff is really well produced. The drum sound is incomparable. The drums sound live, but not jammy (does that make any sense?). And —I really should've said this earlier— the whole thing has that trademark Appleseed Cast emptiness to it. Not empty, as in, "this is incomplete sounding." But, emotionally. Kind of detached and very searching, very introspective. Very Albert Camus. But not quite as heartfelt; it is quite detached sounding for the most part. Couple that with the spacey guitar tones and you get a record that is like U2 (read: the Chameleons) on peyote (oh wait, Bono doesn't do drugs and Mark Burgess is a total drug advocate... what the hell am I getting at?). A strange, noisy mix to be sure, there's really only a few moments when you can say, "That reminds me of Fugazi/Sonic Youth/the Chameleons" (circle one) and have a legit case. Otherwise, these guys are only pretending to be an emo band at this point. Cool.
~Austin
One of the most important (and best) records of my generation.
Who predicted this? To be completely honest, nobody. Truly and absolutely confirming the philosophy that the best ones are the ones that nobody sees coming, this album arrived in two separate volumes in the fall of 2001 to absolutely no anticipation by anyone except the band's hardcore fan base. However, because the two volumes were released independently about a month apart, it gave the record time to seep into the music world's general consciousness and eventually earned them favorable (yet silly) comparisons to Radiohead. Perhaps because of the climate of America in the immediate post-9/11 atmosphere and the coinciding release of this album's two volumes (volume one was released on the 11th) helped accentuate its overall mood. Two sprawling, unapologetically searching and equally experimental and convention-disregarding discs of spacey, obsessively introspective and loud, reflective post-rock made the unsure and venerable feelings of the times amplified. And this album, with its epic grandeur, ultra pretty-yet-noisy guitars, ambient experimentation and soul-searching lyrics made me (specifically) feel like the apocalypse was not as impending as it appeared. However, as important as timing may have been, this record is a monument with or without the external circumstances. Its cinematic scope and relentless creativity are rivaled only by the quality of the material. The band sounds absolutely untouchable here throughout both volumes and the guitar work, while toned down technically, is the perfect compliment for the vocal melodies. The usage of keyboards, xylophones and numerous percussion instruments adds layers and further depth to the band's sound. And that's what is really most shocking about this album: it is such a distinct and poignant statement, but it essentially sounds like a more focused Mare Vitalis. And that's silly, because it's at least twice as long as that record. As far as song highlights, there are too many to name. The sequencing of the album is flawless; making many songs which are supposed to be separate from each other forever linked (for example, "Steps & Numbers" and "Sentence" have no business being divided). I've often said that the most important aspect of making a truly solid album is its sequencing and Low Level Owl does not disappoint in this respect. As much as I have favorite specific songs, I have a hard time enjoying them as much not in the context of the songs that surround them. Not that there aren't songs that don't stick out here, because there are. The album is just so well sequenced, they just aren't the same without their neighbors. It's like only watching the second part of Pulp Fiction; you like it, but it makes less sense. And that is not just a poor comparison: "On Reflection" has got to be one of the band's most important and meaningful songs ever because its main theme is revived several times throughout the two volumes on the short interludes that divide the proper songs. Like a wormhole through the album. I may be getting a little too heady here, but I truly believe that the band did do this intentionally as a sonic 'wormhole' between the songs. But anyway. Just go see the band live and they will probably play "On Reflection" somewhere in the set. It's an important song, that's all I'm sayin'. While volume two is more instrumental than volume one, it seems silly to distinguish between the two, because they are meant to be heard as one. Nearly two hours in length when played back to back, the records never once become stale or uninteresting. Instead, the album is a seamless cycle of inspired, inspiring and fascinating music that has hints of influence that can be heard, but looks up and out for its true inspiration, making for an album that is as unique and important as it is excellent. Absolutely and completely stunning music. Outside of the Appleseed Cast library, there's nothing else like it.
~Austin
Outtakes from the Mare Vitalis sessions.
The songs on this album initially came into conception while the band was prepping for Mare Vitalis and while they were essentially drummer-less. So, as they found a new drummer, they scrapped this material and went on to complete what everyone at the time came to know as Mare Vitalis. But, for whatever reason, the band chose to revisit the songs and finish them with overdubs. So, as half of the songs were completed before Low Level Owl and the second halves of the songs were completed afterwards, the songs have a strange quality to them. It kind of sounds like the pre-experimenting phase of the band crashing head on with the uber-experimental side of the band. As a whole, it makes for either a sprawling Mare Vitalis or a too-concise sounding Low Level Owl, depending on how you view it. In any case, it really provides a proper bridge between the two albums and exposes Low Level Owl as not quite as much of a revelation, but more of a proper evolution.
~Austin
A dumbed-down Low Level Owl. Dumbed-down, but still miles ahead of the pack.
For this album, the band was expanded officially to a quintet, Jordan Geiger brought in strictly to play keyboards. So, that may be a little indicative of what the band was up to here. This is certainly their most keyboard-heavy album. Where Low Level Owl used the keyboards as accents and compliments to the proper songs, some songs here rely completely on keyboard riffs to carry the melodies (especially on "Hanging Marionette"). Not that they've up and gone all synth pop all of a sudden, it just kind of betrays those still intricate but toned down guitar layers. Chris Crisci's vocals have been upped in the mix here and his lyrics seem more observational and accusatory and less poignant than before. Instead of sounding like a dude writing personal lyrics, he actually sounds like a run-of-the-mill emo lyricist. The vocals really are excellent, it's just the lyrics that are a letdown. Musically, the band is still tackling those epic sonic landscapes and build-ups that it explored on Low Level Owl and they still sound as unique and fantastic as ever (not to mention, as this would be drummer Josh Baruth's last recorded material with the band, he has reached an apex of complexity and creative vitality that makes for a fantastic swan song for him). There aren't any cool little ambient pieces and noisy interludes that separate the songs, so the album feels less like a cohesive whole and more of a case of "here's the next song." The sequencing does seem a bit uneven, as much of the album's better material is relegated to the second half of the record. But, what's here is excellent, perhaps even a bit more accessible overall than before. Lyrically listenable, but musically as visionary as ever.
~Austin
More reassured. More experimental. More greatness.
To be sure, this album sounds different than Two Conversations, but undeniably like the Appleseed Cast. Keyboards are practically non-existent on this album, but the increased reliance on post-production manipulation and, at some points, nearly electronica-inspired moments doesn't make them as missed as they could be. Chris Crisci has focused his lyrics this time and they are one of the better points about the album. Musically, this is arguably their noisiest and most complicated album yet. The songs move instantly back and forth between quiet acoustic moments and blaring white noise without warning ("Silas' Knife" is a good example). But the melodies are just as catchy as before and the band sounds simultaneously as unique as ever and as good followers of their inspirations. On songs like "Sunlit and Ascending", the intro vamp is likely their most Chameleons-inspired moment, but when the verse breaks in, the song is deconstructed and rebuilt instantly into something altogether different. Fantastic. Again, the sequencing here is flawless, with the album reaching that epic cinematic scope within the first few tracks. There are three great instrumentals, distributed evenly throughout the album, serving respectably as an intro, intermission and soundtrack for the end credits. Although Josh Baruth has since moved on, the drumming is handled ably by Nate Richardson and is again one of the band's strongest aspects. The production is outstanding and honestly, the songs here are their strongest since Low Level Owl, and perhaps maybe even a bit more consistent than even that album. In any other band's career, it would be a landmark. But, as it stands for the Appleseed Cast, it's their second best album.
~Austin
