Customer Reviews

Two Conversations

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Appleseed Cast does it again. I need to say from the outset that many people think that Low Level Owl is the pinnacle of the
Cast's work, and with good reason. It was truly groundbreaking. But just like Pink Floyd after Dark Side of the Moon, or Radiohead after OK Computer - how does a band make a smart follow up to a brilliant work without riding in on the coat tails of the previous album's success? Wish You Were Here. Kid A. Two Conversations.
Thematically this record borders on "concept album" status. What we have here is a tour de force through the thoughts and actions of a boy and a girl through the different phases of their relationship. What is so poignant about this design is that each song musically makes you feel what the characters are feeling. The standout track, Fight Song, chronicles the screeching halt in the relationship when each character, fingers pointed, admit their unfaithfulness. The music to this song sounds exactly like a breakup. The chorus is so intense it makes you want to cry: "As the lies come out it's the end. As the tears flow out it's the end." The next track, Sinking, is an unbearably slow, angry, post-breakup dirge and The Page picks up a little bit, but then next album standout is Innocent Vigilant Ordinary, in which one character admits he was wrong, asks for forgiveness and restates his love.
Musically this album is top notch. The production is nothing short of amazing. While the quiet, buried vocals of Low Level Owl were intriguing, Chris Crisci's crisp, soothing vocals are one of the outstanding points of this record. Josh's drumming is another definite high point. The production of the guitars is flawless and amazing: they still rock, but the overdrive is so smoothed over with delay that it creates a completely other-worldy sound that suits the mood of the record perfectly.
For those who like emo, get over your Low Level Owl fascination and give this album a listen for what it is. For those who just like good rock/indie music you will appreciate this album as well. The Appleseed Cast have come a long way, and this record is proof. Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant.

Like many others, I heard TAC while browsing in a local Disc Exchange. They were playing Low Level Owl I, and in the short time I was there, I had figured out that I wasn't leaving without finding out who it was.
LLO I & II are great. But so is, Two Conversations. If you are familiar with the earlier works, you can tell right away that Crisci's voice is more forefront, but his voice is also one of the reasons I started liking them to start with... along with the drums, guitars and spacey sounds.
People find it hard to let bands evolve, but this is a prime example of a band evolving but keeping their original sound.
The songs are somewhat shorter, but I think they will appeal to a larger audience.
If you like their other albums, definitely buy this one.

4 1/2

After my glowing reviews for their last two records,Low Level Owl I & II, I find myself almost at a loss for words to further describe this amazing band called The Appleseed Cast. In the past I have given them the utmost praise for their ability to create music with such craftsmanship and detail that to listen to their music is as amazing as listening to Beethoven or Mozart.
Two Conversations is their 6th studio album on their new label, tiger style records. This is there first record without one single instrumental. It is a fitting choice since LLO I and II were filled to the brink with them. This record returns to the Mare Vitalis sound but it smoothes the rougher edges of that record and is much more poignant and sad. It tells the story (or rather two stories) of a couple, the details are still blurry to my mind, but it's obvious alot is going on between them. The lyrics never stray and keep the ideas about these two flowing constantly.

Their is a mist of poetry in their music that I do not find other bands possess. Not just in the lyrics but in the song arrangement, and over all album construction. The Record ends on a surprisingly happy note and left me wanting much more. Its their shortest record to date at only 41 minutes, but you gotta give em a break after their almost two hour masterpiece LLO I & II, they probably did not want to do another mammoth record.

This record is a simple joy, one of life's few remaining pleasures. Highly recommended for fans of RadioHead, Sunny Day Real Estate, Foo Fighters, or Dashboard Confessional. They sound nothing like those other bands, but it gives you an idea of sorts. I hope this record gets the CAST some much deserved recognition. Get in on the ground floor now, you'll never regret it.

I was turned onto the Cast by a buddy who is a personal friend of the singer, so I'm admittedly somewhat biased towards them... but I would have become a fan anyway.

There aren't many bands out there that can use music to weave a story, and do it well. With Two Conversations they not only did it, they brought two stories together and did it with a style and grace that you rarely see. Maybe they went a little pop on this album, but so what? It's not like the departure Beck made going from Odelay to Midnite Vultures.

And if anyone gets the chance to see them live, take it! The Cast sound fantastic in concert.

The Appleseed Cast (who luckily, after almost breaking up, are still together with the replacement of Cobra in the form of Nathan from the Casket Lottery) are back with their 5th (4th proper if LLO I & II are considered a single album) full length album in the form of Two Conversations.

Two Conversations is a loose concept album based on the concept that album is carrying a conversation between two people from the beginning to the end. Singer/guitarist and lyricist Chris Crisci developed the idea in an attempt to bring vocals back to the forefront of TAC's music.

In previous albums lyrics had been written during the recording process or after music was already laid down and were mainly used as another instrument, not a voice above the music. Really, the addition of thought-provoking lyrics takes this TAC album and stacks it right next to Mare Vitalis and Low Level Owl.

Songs like "Fight Song" and "innocent vigilant ordinary" drive the album back to the days of Mare Vitalis with their powerful, "effect-less" guitars and driving rhythm section. While tracks like "How Life Can Turn" and #4 are the calmer, Low Level Owl esque songs.

This album is amazing, the only problems about it really are #7 isn't that great and Crisci omitted the lyrics from the liner's, which seems like an odd choose for a concept relying on lyrics.

i came upon appleseed cast rather late, but i'm pleased with what i've heard. although mare vitalis is my favorite album, two conversations takes a lot of the sound from previous works and rocks it up a notch.

highlights on the album are hanging marionette (track 2) and innocent vigilant ordinary (track 8).

I don't think it's fair to judge an album based solely in comparison to what one comes to expect from a band. However, in the case of such a consistent streak of excellent music, this is hard to avoid with Appleseed Cast. The latest effort, Two Conversations, is by no means a bad album at all but it barely manages to keep up with the heights set by the vivacious Mare Vitalis or the widely acclaimed Low Level Owl albums. As per the title of this review, the Cast only minorly come up short and it's evident that they are still feeling out the possibilities of their talent and still trying to find out what else they can do.

The most notable difference with this album is one that has been mentioned quite a bit, the extension of the role of vocals in the mix and more conventional(though not commercial) song structures. The "problem" with this album, if it can be considered that, isn't with the arrival of the new, however. Rather, what brings this album down is the weakening of the old. Bringing out the vocals wasn't such a bad idea, however, it's the lyrical content that sometimes seems out of place. The band have still stuck to their mastery of simple and sincere lyrics, but they've always done it in minimal and appropriate doses in the past. Making the lyrics more central to the songs doesn't seem to suit the Cast so well because when the simplicity is overdone, it can come across as redundant at points in the album. The unity of the musicianship is still breathing but it seems to be a bit more broken up here, and as a result, this album doesn't possess as much of the "magic" that turned people onto the band and everything seems to be taking more of a backseat to the lyrics and vocals. As well, the presence of Cobra is sorely missed here. While the new drummer seems talented enough, he just isn't signature Appleseed Cast.

Though this review probably nags on the negative aspects of this album, Two Conversations still isn't to be ignored whether you're a fan or not. The Cast have yet to have a "bad" album and really, this can be taken as more of a "break" than a step down.

I'd say this is The Cast's best album...I deliberated for awhile before saying that, because Mare Vitalis was as close to a perfect album as you can get. However, I read someone's amazon.com review in which he or she tried to attribute terms like "forgettable," and "mediocre" to these songs.I disagree wholeheartedly! If anything, Two Conversations is the most accessible Appleseed Cast record, yet! It's decidedly more pop-oriented, but the music lyrics and melodies get hopelessly stuck in your head. Also, the music is almost nostalgic in a way. Brilliant as a concept record (to me, the first 5 songs being the first story, and the last 5 the second story), I would recommend this album first over all other albums by The Appleseed Cast.

One of the best albums to come out in a while.

This is the most incredible album I have ever purchased. The Appleseed Cast blends together beautiful music that is something I am still in awe of. The thing is that many people that love music will never have the chance of listening to their works. It is sad how what is played on the radio is no where near as good as other bands that few have discovered. The Appleseed Cast Two Conversations is a genious work that deserves a space in your collection.