Customer Reviews

The Four Trees

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

 

 

If you've heard Caspian's first EP, The Conductor, then you probably don't even need to read this because you know how talented this band is. For those who haven't, this is instrumental post-rock at its very best. Ever single song meshes together until the entire album forms a towering wall of sound, and the result is absolutely beautiful. "Moksha", the opening track, sets the mood for the entire journey, and the ride doesn't let up. However, simply listening to the 30 second preview clips here won't do any justice to this kind of music. I suggest buying the first couple tracks on iTunes or even the band's whole first EP if you want to get more of a feel for their music. Or you could just take the advice from everyone who has heard them and get this album NOW!

Caspian's EP, You Are the Conductor totally blew me out of the water. I was excited to hear more quality post-rock. It was familiar, yet fresh and exciting. The music style is very similar to Explosions in the Sky, but not to the point of ripping them off. They have twisted the post-rock characterization into their own personal sound.

The band's first full-length is similar to the EP, but not too similar. The main thing I noticed is it starts out very calm, opposed to the EP that started out very suddenly. But overall the soft and hard parts are very fluid and have seamless transitions alternating back-and-forth to one another. Overall this album is overwhelmingly calm and peaceful, without getting boring, which is something most ambient kind of bands cannot achieve. Calm and peaceful doesn't mean these guys can't rock it out; the album has plenty of fast and loud electric-guitar moments as well as the quieter portions. Even the heavier parts are calm in a sense, not becoming irritating or unsettling but just enough punch to deliver the right blend of calm and heavy. It is perfect for background music, having no strange experimental quirks, but still being experimental in the band's personal sense. The album as a whole sheds a warm sense of security, happiness, playfulness, and relief, which each different song having a different character to it, at the same time all songs flowing together into one super-song. It's great stuff, and I believe anyone with any kind of musical taste can enjoy it.

If you like this, check out (or if you like these, you will like this):
Mum, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Red Sparowes, Sigur Ros, and most importantly, Explosions in the Sky

I had the opportunity to see these guys at the paradise in Boston and I was NOT ready for what was to come. This album (along with "You are the Conductor") are fantastic, don't get me wrong, but seeing this show live will transport you to another level just beyond description. An out of body experience. Few albums really deserve 5 stars. Here is one.

3 1/2


Caspian here are the rare second-tier post-rock band capable of utilizing elements found in flagship groups while still managing to maintain at least a fraction of freshness.