Caspian – The Four Trees
Caspian are a five piece post-rock band from Beverely, Massachusetts. The Four Trees is their first full studio album released, You Are the Conductor (2005), their debut EP, preceding it.
Well, let’s just get into this deal: this album is quite good! The Four Trees feature mellow and illuminating complements; the very idea of post-rock music just at the tip of your tongue. Conventional, some might argue, but still damn good! You’ll definitely enjoy Caspian if you enjoy the likes of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. Each song lingers with suspense, making you crave more and more. That might sound predictable, but in this case it’s a good thing. When listening to “Brombie,” for the first time, I was on my toes waiting for the peak; the ultimate orgasm, you might say. And you just know you’ll enjoy it right from the beginning. Kind of like sex. Hey…maybe it is sex. With that being said—yes, many of the tracks feature the post-rock convention of the crescendo-decrescendo technique…but it sounds good, so what’s the big deal?
Some core elements found in The Four Trees include lots of pedal effects, delays, and reverb (“The Dove” being so reminiscent to Sigur Ros) and bright guitar-driven melody (oh, and freaking pedal steels!). This album definitely great; it goes to show that the roots of post-rock have always sounded this good and will for a long time.
Here are some of my favourite tracks on the album:
Buy The Four Trees on Amazon
Buy the album on CD Universe
Agreed, this was a great post rock album that really did well in underground circles last year. If you are really into post rock like this I would recommend Jakob, 65daysofstatic and Have a Nice Life. Keep the reviews coming.