The Appleseed Cast

Item: Mare Vitalis
Author: Ben Mengden

Mare Vitalis

(2000)

Reviewed by Ben Mengden

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Label Deep Elm RecordsHM Magazine #82March 2000

emo indie rock post-rock

This one's easy. This is where beauty is. This is an almost flawless album. Definitely it is a niche sound shared by few bands and if you loved their first album, it might be a big step for you. It wasn't hard for me to see it as very different but love it all the more, even for that reason. End of the Ring Wars, Appleseed's first release, was in my player quite a bit when this review opportunity came along. So were other bands that would be in the same genre as this band. Appleseed Cast remains at the forefront of their genre. They are forming the music that is forging the new underground pop. Whatever emo is, is evolving into something like what this album depicts. It is a tidal change. The recession is away from the punk / hardcore to the layered alterna - pop which is very positive sounding (unlike some of End of the Ring Wars). It is a move away from Brandtson's Letterbox sound. It is a move away from Tx is the Reason's sound to a more American Football style. The tide comes forward with strength in beauty instead of strength in power. It is extremely classy. It has "respectable" written all over it predominately by the higher quality vocals and the precision musicianship. It is all layered like a fine dessert. Dual guitars that each play their own song. Other bands have used this style, but this remains unique in its execution. It is a more friendly and less sad sounding album than many other comparable bands without sounding as poppy as say the Get Up Kids or Promise Ring. The finer details include a wacky way to start a record: a brief "prelude" called "The Immortal Soul of Mundo Cani." It is more like some of the darker stuff on End of... You can imagine the shore in a storm on this one. Listen for the noises of the beach. The album immediately shifts in to the more up - paced agenda which will carry the entire album. Highlights include a moving instrumental "Mare Mortis." Instrumentals this good should be outlawed for fear that people will quit singing. Although the lyrics are not included (a very common trend), you can easily pick out some of the gems. "Secret" has nice transitions and very cool drums. "And Nothing Less is" builds into this maze with outstanding guitars. "Poseidon" is a sort of return to the beginning and you can hear the ocean again. It is a bit darker at the start. The vocals are especially nice on "Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets" with really nice layered backup vocals. Appleseed Cast retains the slight grittiness which helps to define their sound. This is blue color in a nice suit. "Storms" closes the album in a unique way keeping this fresh by the use of some of the sampling here. Just about everything I have to say about this album will be good. This is an instant classic for me. Maybe I should quit writing and you should go find this album.