Appleseed Cast Peregrine Graveface 2006/2016

Appleseed Cast Peregrine Graveface 2006/2016 CAT# GRAVE115

Record Store Day happened again and it was lamer than the year before. Despite that, there was a couple of prominent local releases, this reissue of Appleseed Cast's Peregrine album and a live recording of current KC darlings, Madison Ward and Mama Bear. I picked this up. Nothing against Madison Ward & Mama Bear, it's just that group is too available. I have to wait until the band's releases are impossible to find before I show interest. That said, I probably need to pick up a Madison Ward release at some point.

Moving on, Peregrine was released by the Militia Group in 2006. It does have a vinyl pressing, but seeing how the label stopped releasing stuff in 2012, like many of Appleseed Cast's LPs it's become hard to find. Graveface, Appleseed Cast's home since 2013, has the other Militia Group LP Sagarmatha in print and available. For whatever reason, unlike Sagarmatha, Peregrine got the limited release. 2000 copies were pressed, some of which are a colored variant for Record Store Day, others are Graveface Record Club hand-poured vinyl variants, there was a Kickstarter version, and there is standard black vinyl available through Graveface mailorder.

Aside from all that nonsense, it's a good album and was the band's sixth release. It sounds a little more humble than their ambitious Low Level Owl albums, but the experimentation does run rampant throughout the LP, it's just not as obvious. There's a lot of groove and hooks throughout Peregrine and the band doesn't waste their time with beeps and glitches getting to those moments. It also serves as a concept album as it attempts to tell the story of a child, her name being Peregrine, who is murdered by her father and comes back to haunt him for it.

Appleseed Cast Peregrine

Tim O'Reagan S/T Lost Highway 2006

Tim O'Reagan S/T Lost Highway 2006 CAT #B0006401-01

Tim O'Reagan was part of the Lawrence-Legendary duo the Leatherwoods that was primarily known as a vehicle for Todd Newman. The two were from Topeka, went to KU and played around. To get in touch with a bigger scene, they moved to Minneapolis and created a well-received album that went relatively unnoticed nationally. After the break-up, Newman stayed active putting out his high-quality power-pop now and again. O'Reagan kept playing drums and caught the attention of Joe Henry. He did work for Henry and later, became a full-time member of the Minneapolis alt-country band, The Jayhawks. As a multi-instrumentalist, he wrote a number of songs for the Jayhawks so a solo-LP shouldn't come as surprise.

Once the Jayhawks took a hiatus in 2005, O'Reagan started working his first, and so far only, solo LP. It doesn't stray far from where O'Reagan has always been. It's a heavy dose of alternative country with numerous nods to power-pop and heavy on British Invasion influences. Much of this LP wouldn't be out of place on any of the big alt country acts, be it the Jayhawks or even Wilco, it's quality. His voice is a bit hushed and gentle making his albums feel a lot like a Josh Rouse album if you're familiar with his work.

Also interesting, the hype sticker in the top right advises you the vinyl album features two cuts that weren't featured on the CD. Which, yeah, people were doing in 2006 and may still do. Which is funny, because in the late-90's when records were being killed off, you got the bonus tracks on the CDs.

Anybody's Only

The Life And Times The Magician Hawthorne Street Records 2008

The Life And Times The Magician Hawthorne Street Records 2006 CAT# HSR026

This 5 song EP was initially released in 2006 on CD and later released by Hawthorne Street Records in 2008 in this vinyl version.  The band is centered around Allen Epley of Shiner fame, but also features Christ Metcalf on drums who was a part of the same KC post-hardcore scene as Epley.  To round out the three piece, Eric Abert plays bass in the three piece.

To compare the EP to Shiner is obvious, it has certain elements and the obvious player.  The math-i-ness is prevalent, still very challenging and complicated music.  The strained out vocals are there.  The bursts of distorted guitar are there as well.  However, it's much more subdued than Epley's work in Shiner.  It's not as loud and angry, it draws out post-rock soundscapes similar to what Appleseed Cast transformed themselves into after being emo for several years.  There's also a prevalent need to call it shoegazer, but I wouldn't say Epley was diving deep into the British 90's scene, probably just channeling his love for the same bands that influenced the likes of My Bloody Valentine.  However, shoegazer can serve as a valid reference point.

Most importantly, it's really good.  Begging the question, why is this band hanging out in relative obscurity?  The Life and Times recently released a new album and yet, little to no fanfare surrounding it.  Isn't even being done up for a vinyl release.  Granted, I don't keep to up to date with new music that much, however, I have an affinity for the post-rock scene and everybody is all hoped up about the new Whirr LP (it is pretty good), yet, very few of those people even know this band exists.

Hush

White Flight S/T Range Life/Black And Green Records 2006

White Flight S/T Range Life/Black And Green Records 2006 CAT #BG003

This has easily become one of my favorite local releases over the past few years.  It's Justin Roelofs, post-Anniversary, just putting his ideas out there and creating somewhat of a spectacle of himself.  For this LP and project, he's no longer Justin Roelofs, he is White Flight or the White Wizard.  He also reportedly found all his inspiration on a visit to South America, never doing drugs, but soaking in some serious spirituality.

He's a smart dude and has always been off center (or at least he wants you to think he is).  I remember when he was in the Anniversary hanging around Lawrence.  They were a tight-knit band and were always seen together.  Once they headlined KU's Day on the Hill, which is a outdoor, parking lot concert.  I was in attendance with my sister and the Anniversary was hanging out in front of us pre-show.  Somehow, they got on the topic of Neutral Milk Hotel's In An Aeroplane Over the Sea album.  One of the Anniversary guys, I want to say the drummer stated something to the effect of he never understood the album or didn't really like it.  Roelofs blew up.  He started asking, "Do you know what it's about?"  And before anyone could answer he started telling them it was based on the Diary of Anne Frank (it isn't, but it's a rumor).  He continued though, for like 10 minutes, red in the face that his band mate didn't agree that the album is genius.  So, despite that some of the White Flight thing seems theatrical, there is plenty of evidence that points to Roelofs' eccentricity.

Another thing about Roelofs, up until this album, he has always seemed somewhat disingenuous.  He's very adept at writing in a current scene's sound.  His early high school career was based around a pop-punk sound.  As discussed previously, he had success writing in that genre.  Then, he formed the Anniversary and was drawn into the sound of Weezer and the Rentals.  When, stoner rock became a thing, he and the Anniversary changed tune again.  All good tunes and worth listening to, but not really his own thing.

That changes White Flight album, at least to a certain extent.  This is a mash-up of everything he's heard, everything he could want to copy, everything he could think of.  He just throws it all out there.  Had this come out pre-Animal Collective, people would call it genius.  Instead, it gets lumped in as more post-modern indie-rock.  And, truth be told, I'm fairly certain some Animal Collective did come across Roelofs' lap prior to putting this together.  But, fuck, it's a great album.

Upon first listen, it is a bit much to take in and can sound sloppy and unfocused.  After a few times though, the hip hop influences just start to blend with all the chopped up electronics, samples, and guitars.  Lyrically, he's a kid from Overland Park, KS, and doesn't have much to say, he talks about cats, spirits and there's a lot of scratch vocal "la, la, la, la-ing" going on.  It's okay though, because the groove is there.

The amount of visuals out there for the album is pretty incredible.  He's got YouTube of himself dispelling drug rumors to his mom (is that needed?) and he gave himself a Jesus makeover in all his glossy videos.  Again, he's an eccentric dude, but after several videos, it all seems a bit over the top and concocted.  I'll take it though, the album is brilliant.

Apparently, White Flight is now done.  The White Wizard (again, that Roelofs) is working with Evan 'E. Vax' Mast of Ratatat (also worked with Jay Z) and they are dubbing themselves Abuela.  Both E. Vax and White Wizard went to South America to shoot video for all the visuals that are going to go along with the music.  The song, "Sapa," has already been featured in a Lexus commercial and there is a video up for it.  The first 7" featuring the song is apparently available currently.

Deathhands
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