The Appleseed Cast - Peregrine (2006)

The Appleseed Cast

“Peregrine” (Graveface Records)

Imagine Tortoise performing U2's “Unforgettable Fire” with John Bonham on drums and Salvador Dali at the mixing board, and you’ll have some idea of my first impressions of this record. Wow. Second time through: totally different. This thing is a total sonic mindfuck. Songs routinely crumbling all around you, blissfully de-constructing themselves before your very ears, keeping you guessing at every moment. As soon as you think you know where a tune might be going, pieces of it begin to fall away, seemingly at random, while new building blocks leap unexpectedly into place, instantly creating something totally different than what you were hearing just a few seconds ago. When themes do recur it feels like a friend’s warm hand leading you onward into a sugary fog. Simultaneously discomforting and reassuring, like dropping acid in a roomful of old friends. Big, roomy, boomy drums, the triphammer guitars of the Velvets, the breathy acoustic crooning of David Gilmour, the robot ghost of Radiohead, and swirling pop flourishes that cast a frantic and shaky searchlight into the murk. Strangely, it all works rather well; this is a brilliantly crafted record. At once graceful and delicate, other times a ramshackle thunderous mess, The Appleseed Cast’s “Peregrine” issues an unsettling new challenge with each repeated listen. Available to stream or download on Bandcamp here: https://graveface.bandcamp.com/album/peregrine-2016-master