2012.06.26 The Appleseed Cast - Middle States

Color: Clear Blue/Aqua swirl

Release Date: 2011, June 7

Label: Graveface Records

The Appleseed Cast still has it. This EP is proof. Never mind that founding guitarist Aaron Pillar has since left the band and that TAC is currently recording its first batch of material without him… Middle States is an enticing 30 minutes of music written by the band fresh off of their tour Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Low Level Owl albums. As a result a similar sound permeates the the first half of this ep, and that is a welcome influence, to be sure. The real gem here, though, is the 14-minute-plus improvised tune that makes up the entire second half of this release. “Three Rivers” is a breathtaking exercise in aimless guitar noodling, if there ever is such a thing (seems like an oxymoron, no?). It takes a minute for the band to get their footing in this tune, but once the members all find each other, it ascends to new heights, culminating in sheets of cascading blissful noise at the 12-minute mark. Seriously some of the band’s most gorgeous stuff. This is also some of the most solid drumming on an Appleseed Cast release - so it’s a shame that newcomer John Momberg has also departed since these sessions. The art on the record is quite an improvement from some of the band’s last few releases, for sure. ‘digging the vintage dot gain pattern of the background and of course the pair of wings present also seem to nod to earlier album motifs. You can always count on Graveface Records for some beautiful wax colors too. No disappointment here. As a bonus a few posters were thrown in as inserts but the design of those are so forgettable that I don’t even think I hung on to them. Despite the most recent lineup changes, I’m hoping this is a good indicator of where the band is heading with the next release.