Reviews

Record #622: The Appleseed Cast – The Fleeting Light of Impermanence (2019)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

In 1998, the Appleseed Cast released The End of the Ring Wars. It was a shockingly mature work for a debut, offering a stunning mix of pop punk hooks, post rock compositions, and hardcore energy.

But it’s especially more impressive when you realize that they’ve done so with an unparalleled consistency. Across their catalog, there are no lulls, no dips, no records that their fanbase would rather just ignore. In fact, if you get five Appleseed Cast fans together and ask for their favorite record, you might get five different answers, each with respectable arguments for their choice.

I say all of this to drive home an important statement.

The Fleeting Light of Impermanence might be their best ever.

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Record #621: My Bloody Valentine – m b v (2013)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Some albums don’t need a follow up. They stand firmly upon their own two proverbial legs, singular icons that echo into eternity, transcending everything else the artist does.

Loveless is one of those albums. It cemented My Bloody Valentine’s legacy even without a follow up.

And for a long time, it finally felt like that follow up would never come. Then once it did, it was met with apprehension. After all, how do you follow up a record as sublime and transformative as Loveless? 

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Record #618: The Muppet Movie – Original Soundtrack Recording (1979)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Let’s get one thing straight from the get-go: Jim Henson is a genius of the highest order. While his more realistic character work in movies like Star Wars, the Ninja Turtles movie, or Labyrinth has no peer, his real legacy is in The Muppets.

And when you think about it, the Muppets really have no business being as timeless and transcendent as they are. Nowhere is that more evident in 1979’s The Muppet Movie and its accompanying soundtrack.

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Record #617: Holy Fawn – Death Spells (2019)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

It’s no secret that I have a very, very weak spot in my heart for music that blends metal’s punishing heaviness with unabashed prettiness. And the last few years (more specifically, ever since Sunbather brought further attention to the type of gorgeous metal that Alcest pioneered) scores of metal bands have been pushing into the dreamy lushness of shoegaze and post rock—and vice versa.

But few bands do it with the sort of shameless simplicity of Holy Fawn. And thus, few bands do it with as much success.

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Record #616: Comrades – For We Are Not Yet, We Are Only Becoming (2019)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Over the last few years, I have found myself crossing paths with Colorado’s Comrades on a number of occasions. We’ve played the same festivals (they always have a much better time slot), they’ve played in my living room, and one occasion, I pretended to be on the road with them and Deathbreaker to get free Chick-Fil-A.

Yet for all of this familiarity, I am still astonished every time I get a chance to hear them play (especially in my living room). Their newest record is another genre-melding, heart-rending masterpiece that’s just as likely to fuel a mosh pit as a moment of quiet reflection.

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Record #613: Moving Mountains – Pneuma (2007)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

The marriage of post rock and post hardcore shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. After all, the roots of each are closely intertwined: post rock godfathers Slint came out of the punk and hardcore scene of early 90s Kentucky. Unwed Sailor was founded out of the husk of Tooth & Nail post hardcore outfit Roadside Monument.

But still, when the horns and glockenspiels of “Aphelion” give way to screamed vocals and pounding chords, it’s a bit of a surprise. And as this record continues to weave between the purest forms of each genre, it doesn’t get any less unexpected.

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