The last time I saw Appleseed Cast in concert, this emo band was very loud, and as I remember them then, holding lots of hope for the world. With Low Level Owl: (Volume 1), Appleseed Cast is almost musically and lyrically subdued. If you like the style of The Juliana Theory at a more sombre sound level, you may enjoy this project. Then again, the lyrics may have you guessing again. Low Level Owl strikes a sour chord.
Upon my first several listens to Low Level Owl, I was very excited to hear a very insightful and deep development for Appleseed Cast. But now, I pose an open question to this band: is life so bad that there is no hope? I suggest the band take a lesson or two from The Juliana Theory, who posed hope in "Musicbox Superhero" (as just one example).
As I listen to the lyrics, "On Reflection" is negative with its focus on "you sell out." An instrumental named "Flowers Falling from Dying Hands" sounds more dreadful than the title or sentiment of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" by the Kingston Trio.
The brightest music arrangements from Low Level Owl are the instrumentals, and "Steps and Numbers" rocks, one of two only bright lights in this collection, but it still keeps the listener on guard that there are "people who dream only of gold."
Ditto for "Signal," which warns, "we'll light a flame that says we are."
I like emo; I really do. However, The Appleseed Cast has recorded a project that is very difficult to listen to, specifically in light of the United States' tragedy in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania (please see the date I am completing my review).
And in light of my notes and timing, I'm certain The Appleseed Cast will reflect accordingly and continue its music and lyrics, as this band is incredibly talented but needs to meet the mark for its listeners.
2 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #91Reviewed by Jason DoddMare Vitalis, one of the most underrated releases of 2000, is a lot to live up to. Creating a soundscape so narrow in concept, and so wide and dimensional within it, is an admirable (to say the least) task, and Mare Vitalis nailed it. It proposed a mission statement, went about it, and told a million heavenly stories of creation, departure, sailing for years that seem like minutes, and arrival at…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Nate BaileyLow Level Owl, Vol. 1 is a concept album in a way. It's more like a classical symphony than anything else. Instead of individual songs, there are movements. Each movement is linked to the next with electronic induced loops, echoes, and instrumentals (many with piano). This is only the first volume, there is a second that follows up where this leaves off, and the whole project is over two hours in…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Andy ArgyrakisIt's hard to pinpoint a group that can glaze over different musical plains, yet make all of their sounds, as unorthodox as they may be, seem like they fit together. The Appleseed Cast's latest can best be summarized as a melancholy sequence of stunning orchestrations and breathtaking crescendos. They start out with an emo base, but instead of calculating their sounds around that style, the group…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Ken MuellerLow Level Owl: Volume 1 is the first of two recordings to be released by The Appleseed Cast this year, with Volume 2 coming in the fall. Both discs were recorded at the same time, and Volume 1 shows that one of the top bands in the emo genre is continuing to grow and expand their horizons. Not content to rest on their laurels, the band has added more keyboards, more experimentation, more studio…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Bert GanglLow Level Owl: Volume I, the third full-length project from the Appleseed Cast, is the first of two entries in a 26-song set from the Lawrence, Kansas-based quartet, with the second volume slated for release in late October of 2001. Like The End of the Ring Wars and Mare Vitalis before it, the latest effort falls broadly into the emo/dream pop section of the modern rock panorama. But where Ring…Similar sounding releases
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