The Appleseed Cast - Peregrine (Militia Muzik, 2006)

The Appleseed Cast
Peregrine
Militia Muzik
2006

Rating: 7 falcons out of 10

I’ve not been sure what to classify the Appleseed Cast as for a while now…they might have started out rooted in the Lawrence, KS emo scene from the mid-90s that was huge, but after their first couple of records they diverged so far from that path that to consider them emo now would just be silly. The review of this album on Allmusic somewhat jokingly makes reference to “Midwest post-rock”, but honestly this is as good a descriptor of their sound as about anything else, if you’re really itching to put a label on things. If you were to try and combine elements from Tristeza, The Cure, Mogwai, the Notwist…maybe even a little Sigur Ros when they are at their rockingest, you’d have the general idea of where these guys are coming from, even if they don’t really sound like any of those bands per se.

On first listen, and maybe even the second and third listens, my reaction was “good, enjoyable record that sounds like their last record ‘Two Conversations’”... but as I dug deeper I got a feeling that things had been switched up in very subtle ways, ways that seep into your brain after you’ve digested the album a few times. Most notable of these changes is the drumming; not only is there a new drummer with a decidedly different style (think Doug Scharin from June of 44, if that means anything to you), but the organic drums are paired up with or played off of lots of electronic beats so it gives a wholly new texture to these otherwise atmospheric, noisy pop songs. There’s even some slide guitar on one of the songs for chrissakes, and somehow it works. Bottom line, this is a very good record, and a continued step in the right direction for a vastly underappreciated band.