The Appleseed Cast
Low Level Owl, Volume 1

Those who disdain any group from the "emo" pot just because they hate the genre in question (perhaps they only have its latest incarnations in mind) should dig a little into its roots before making judgments regardless. Only by doing so, they might stumble upon pleasant surprises, seminal bands for many of today's groups, which laid the foundation for a style of music that, in many cases, then took a very different path from the original. The Appleseed Cast belongs precisely to the group of "originals," of those who, among the first and with their specific traits, made "emo" (rock).

"Low Level Owl" is an album divided into two volumes (both released in 2001), of which I am about to review the first. Listening to it brings so many sounds to mind, many groups that could have, in one way or another, influenced them: echoes of U2 and Brand New (very shortly after them), a hint of Sunny Day Real Estate, parentheses and derivative structures of a certain post-rock, and much more. However, I can't quite focus on them all; what forms in my mind while listening to these guys is a sensation of calm, of peace and tranquility, like a fog, or better yet like a winter morning when, opening the window, the lawn and the woods of your home are completely white under a thin layer of frost covering everything, from plants to blades of grass to trees. Everything seems so fragile, so delicate that even a mere breath of wind could be enough to shatter even the most ancient of oaks. Then the sun comes out, and gradually its timid rays begin to warm the environment and melt the ice, which slowly slips away. Such an image of stillness and absolute calm is, in my opinion, the perfect representation of many tracks contained in this work.

"On Reflection", "Blind Man's Arrow", "Doors Lead To Questions", "Steps and Numbers", "Signal","Convict" are the tracks I find most useful to mention in order to fully convey to the reader the passage that allowed me to materialize what was played by the Appleseed Cast with the above-described scene. It's as if your worries suddenly vanish in a soap bubble, leaving space for good memories and hopes for your future: a "positive" music I would call it, auspicious, but I believe that such a definition can be shared by those who listen to the album.

Technically speaking, over the almost fifty minutes of the album, they take us by the hand into their sound world made of sweet and liquid guitars, which often indulge in purely instrumental and almost post-rock moments, all perfectly paced by a perfect and precise rhythm section and led by a clear and crystal-clear voice, which many times blends so completely with the instrumental part that it becomes an integral part of it, itself an instrument. A winning formula that captivates, fascinates, and immediately imprints itself in your mind (thanks to a rather high level of catchiness).

I believe it is right to pay the deserved respect to this band, perhaps little-known, but that seems to have been in the thoughts of many current (or subsequent) groups, if it is true that many sounds of the Appleseed Cast can be found today in many productions ("emo," but not only). Give them a listen: at worst, you've spent fifty minutes at peace with the world.