Customer Reviews

Low Level Owl: Volume 1

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The way I see it, these guys were trapped in the world's greatest studio and got so bored, they decided to spend every waking moment on perfecting the tiniest, most minor sounds. I mean, this is just unreal. So meticulosly crafted, you'd have thought they sewed together the audio track it on which all this was recorded. This isn't saying it's an ambient soundscape. The tunes are coherent, and some stand on their own. Even "Birds of Paradise," which is repetitive, is captivating. If someone were to make a movie to go along with this album, which it seems to demand, I would watch it, like, a lot. Not enough people are going to hear this album.

Music is an Art Form. Today with popular music becoming more brainless by the second sometimes we forget that instruments can evoke more from us other then wanting to dance or sing ... to meaningless lyrics and cookie cutter melodies. The world of EMO music trascends these trivial things and evolves into a complex world of beauty and chaos mixed into the strums and thumps of guitars and drums. A world where the lead vocals are not a distraction or addition, they themselves are also just another instrument playing with the band, never intruding, always complimenting and adding to the richness of the melody.
This is where Low Level Owl Volume 1 fits into the spectrum. It is uncomparable to their previous works simply becauses they are never the same band twice. End of the Ring Wars was a much more darker record that was built on hurting lyrics and frustrating melodies that evoked anger and lost love. A simple saxaphone hummed along with two tracks to remind that love can be true. Mare Vitalis was a more uplifting record in sound, and the lyrics evoked such a love for life, mainly in the ocean, in sea animals, in a journey from mainland to mainland across luscious rivers and lakes. With Low Level Owl the theme is much more ambigous but the clean white surface of the record and the single Owl feather laying on the cover is so subtle but it seems to show such an experimental theme thats clean cut and intricate. Like a white doctors office where everything is sterile and clean. This record is VERY experimental, with 6 of the 14 tracks being instrumentals that vary from a wind chime one to a hazy static one. To a traditional drug and guitar one at the end that goes for 8 minutes straight. This record has eye widening melodies and the lyrics are so carefully orchestrated, making sure never to intrude or be insufficient. Everything was given such a loving touch and it is felt througout the record.
When you hear a instrumental move seamlessly into the next track you just smile and how awesome it was. THe druming in this album is much more stand alone on some tracks creating such a great appreciation for every single instrument being played wether keyboard, bass, guitar, drums, or vocals. Track 12 (a Tree for Trials) is such a tease lasting only for two minutes but you are sent so deep into it's simple melody but so haunted by it. The sound of leaves take you into the last few tracks, or is it rain? Its nature, its alive. Its an Owl swooping down with its beautiful wings and huge eyes looking into you. The final song on the record (13)Signal, (14 is an Instrumental) will send chill's down your spine as Chris sings "someday the sun will fall down" and you honest to God believe him but it just seems OK if it did. I give great applause to these Musicians who have returned Music to what it should be.
I heard Volume 2 is even better......whoa....
~=)

And one of the best modern rock albums of the past 10 years. This album is more ethereal, angelic than their previous albums, and this plays to Appleseed Cast's strengths, which is the interplay between the vocal line(s) and the guitars' high tone arpeggios. A good example of the band's instrumental chemistry, quite literally, considering the # of instrumentals on the album. I think this approach--dropping in instrumentals every couple of tracks (Birds of Paradise probably being my favorite)--helped to focus the band's musicianship of the album. No, it's not Johann Sebastian Bach, but it doesn't have to be, it's rock music. The songs seem continuous and connected, yet there is a surprising amount of deviation amongst the songs. It is an *album*, yet individual songs like On Reflection, Sentence, and Blind Man's Arrow do stake out their own territory. On Reflection, the first "song", can only be described as the first "ambient", "shoe gazer" epic, and that is followed by Blind man's Arrow, a dark change of pace that is, guitar-opening wise, almost Rush-esque w/ a minor intonation. Mile Marker is also a sweet song w/ an addictive guitar riff. Why music like this can't find radio popularity while garbage like Limp Bizkit is shoved in our faces every two nanoseconds is beyond me. Buy these two LLO albums. DO IT NOW.

An ecclectic mix of ambient sounds, thoughtful melodies and droning guitars this album has it all. While each track is individually strong the album listened to as a whole is both genious and highly enjoyable.

I was looking for a CD that's pretty mellow. I've been listening to Coldplay non-stop for awhile, and finally had a hankering for some new groups. This CD (in combo with Vol. II) did not disappoint!! It's overall mellow nature combines with moments of harder sounds. The lyrics are difficult to make out, but they've been printed in the jacket for us. Alot of instrumental songs on these 2 volumes, which you'd think might get boring without lyrics, but uh-uh! I highly recommend if you're in the mood for original/interesting/relaxing music and not screaming lyrics and screeching guitar. "On Reflection" and "Steps and Numbers" knocked me out.

In retrospect most of us could have seen this album coming. A quick listen to Mare Vitalis and its obvious which direction this band is heading in: darker, ethereal, more complicated and ambient. However, this work stands alone from their other work for a number of reasons.

It isn't as accessible. Originally a double CD (with Volume II), it was split up for marketing reasons. "Low Level Owl: Volume I" is long and complicated, best listened to in its entirety and if possible followed immediately by volume II (as the band intended it). Songs blend together flawlessly using ambience and superb arrangements. Vocals also sit further back in the mix and the lyrics are cryptic and difficult to understand. These songs have been made to fit together like a puzzle and only make sense once pieced together in their entirety.

It is far more original. "The end of the ring wars" was derivative, and the arrangements were about as stale as old toast. "Mare Vitalis" was darker and richer but the songs still ended up sounding the same. On "Low Level Owl" Appleseed Cast blends ambient noises, new sounds and instruments and distant vocals to create a larger, more textured and overwhelming sound. The highlight of the album is the final track "view of a burning city" where a murky guitar line crescendos into a dark scorching mix of guitars and noise.

As a single body of work Low Level Owl is incredible, but it needs to be a single piece. It is not a straightforward listen, it is long, slow and complicated. However, once acclimated to the style of these two CDs (Volumes I & II) those criticisms become the same reason why these albums are so amazing. It is a visionary and extraordinary body for work.

Never before has an album so refined, so essential than the Appleseed Cast's "Low Level Owl" series. The album is just truely breathtaking, but a word of warning, you cant just pick a track to listen to, you have to listen to the whole thing all the way through to experience it's true beauty. The lyrics flow, the music segways into each track, at the end of the album you really havent realized that even one track was over. Just amazing and highly recommened.

This is such a great cd. It is just a perfect cd to just sprawl on the couch and zone out too. The progression from one to another is perfect and the whole cd fits together like butter. The music overkills the lyrics but it makes sense after a few listens. Overall a great cd for any music lover.

I bought this CD after i bought the second volume. Both volumes are kinda different. The first volume has more singing while the second volume has more instrumentals. Both CDs are very awesome and are very relaxing. These are must buy CDs and i recommend them to everyone

The Appleseed Cast have done something remarkable with the Low Level Owl albums, volume I and II. I initially wrote this band off after the End of the Ring Wars. I enjoyed them, but was never really blown away. This 2 volume album is an incredible piece of musicianship, that there really needs to be more of. It is smart, diverse, and beautiful. Most of the songs are linked to one another, so there are no typical breaks between them. Yes, this will get lumped as EMO, but it is smarter than EMO. Closer to art than anything. The melodies and beauty of the Low Level Owl albums should not be passed up. The album can be hypnotic, I found myself in the middle of a dream as I listened. This was such a pleasant surprise.