Compare The Appleseed Cast’s first album, The End of the Ring Wars (1998) to their latest, The Fleeting Light of Impermanence (2019), and you might grasp the incredible artistic journey undertaken by singer and guitarist Christopher Crisci. Around him, bandmates have come and gone like seasons; the band is practically a ship of Theseus at this point. Maybe this constant state of flux is the key to his innovative drive. Crisci has never been one to back down before a challenge, whether that be a change in the band’s lineup or taking things in a new direction. Therefore, it makes plenty of sense that the emo veteran’s 9th album covers yet more new ground. On Illumination Ritual (2013), one of the standout figures was undoubtedly drummer Nathan Wilder, whose frenzied, cerebral approach to the kit lended a very post-rock kind of sound to instrumental sections. But there were still traces of Appleseed’s post-punk era (i.e, Sagarmatha, 2009), as evidenced by some of the harmonic structures and Interpol/ The Edge - ish guitar playing.
TFLOI sees Crisci and his crew push the textural envelope in a very pictural way. On Time The Destroyer, atmospheric synths and glitchy samples collide in a dizzying palette of sounds; then, the singer’s voice seemingly emerges, from a haze of filters that amplify its plaintive quality as much as they drown it. The “wall of sound” guitar and pad arrangements are evocative of late 90s midwest emo bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate or Mineral, without resorting to the same abrasiveness. As for the narrative - the progression of the album - it exemplifies a clear post-rock intent. Songs melt into each other, using the lack of formal structures as a means to build long, winding passages, gaining power and energy in the same way a steam train gains momentum over time. The Fleeting Light Of Impermanence is an ambitious and expressive record, as painterly as it is musical. © Alexis Renaudat/Qobuz