Casket Lottery Survival is for Cowards Second Nature 2002

Casket Lottery Survival is for Cowards Second Nature 2002 CAT# SN031

Fantastic Casket Lottery LP, but, they're all great. So much aggression, screaming vocals, screaming guitars, and huge drums. It's strange how At The Drive-In became so popular while Casket Lottery had the same feel and in comparison, stayed only Zine-Famous.

This was the band's third album and until Real Fear showed up 10 years later, was thought to be their last. Had it remained their final LP, it would have been a good way to go. Classic emo, teenage angst turning into adult anger and frustration. One of the final golden era of emo albums, before it turned into a scene about trendy jeans, combed hair and suburban malls.

Survival Is For Cowards

The Casket Lottery Moving Mountains Second Nature 2000

The Casket Lottery Moving Mountains Second Nature 2000 CAT #SN018

The pros will tell you this a typical sophomore album. They'll say it doesn't have the same energy as the debut. Or, the band started experimenting to add an edge to their sound, but hadn't fully developed into themselves. You can even read retrospective reviews that claim the follow-up is the one to own, it's the one that put all the pieces together.

Screw that, in 2000, the start/stop emo dynamic was morphing into garbage like Fall Out Boy. Yet, here's this Kansas City band smacking you in the face. Screaming and crying, even heavy metal gurgling at you that this style still had some moments to offer. The band's experimentation was the use of more progressive and metal influences that they threw into their sound. And it works. It works amazingly well. You could call it a little unbalanced compared to the later albums, but you could just as easily say it also adds an element of surprise to the album listening experience.

The kids know. This is a great LP. Regardless of what the "best" Casket Lottery album is, this stands with all their work on equal footing. There's also a great blurb written by Ed Rose about the recording of the album on the inner-sleeve. It's not legendary bathroom reading like the CD liners to Kill Creek's St. Valentine's Garage (if you have the CD, you understand), but it shows, Ed got it, too.

A Dead Dear

The Casket Lottery Choose Bronze Second Nature 1999

The Casket Lottery Choose Bronze Second Nature 1999 CAT# SN016

You don't want to call Casket Lottery emo, but fuck, this album can be so emo. It's whiny, the dual vocal approach exchange cries throughout, and, I think most the songs are about girls. And while it doesn't sound 1999 Midwestern emo with all the math-y time signature changes, it would have fit in fine next to the likes of emo pioneers Boys Life and Giants Chair. So, in that regard, the Casket Lottery's first LP is an emo LP.

However, it's way beyond that, it's got more depth and way too much aggression. Keeping in mind, two thirds of the band performed in the brutal metal band (one of which still does) Coalesce, these songs will throat punch you. There's no time for crying, Casket Lottery has too much of a punk rock upbringing and too much of a metal ego to get too wimpy.

Another element of the post-hardcore scenes the Casket Lottery gravitated to, math-rock. Far more intricate than their emo counterparts. It's not as harsh as Don Caballero and not as pretentious as American Football or Joan of Arc, but these guys have enough start-stop moves and drum counts to start a class. They were able to find a solid balance of the influences and make something unique, catchy, but still maintain their punk rock DIY values. It's a great LP.

Also key to the Casket Lottery perfection is the special touches they gave every release outside not allowing for a single skipped over track. Choose Bronze features the band name in metallic bronze print on the front cover. They also inscribed the words, "Your Home" and "My Home" on opposites sides near the matrix numbers. Little things like that, always made Casket Lottery so clever and conscious of the people listening to them.

CHOOSE BRONZE

The Casket Lottery Real Fear No Sleep Records 2012

The Casket Lottery Real Fear No Sleep Records 2012 CAT# NSR063

This was released almost decade after the previous Casket Lottery LP, so in that regard, it can be called a comeback album. Listening to it, it can certainly feel that way. It's not as angry and aggressive as the prior albums. It takes in a much wider array of influences. It's more sophisticated than the prior work. Skill sets have changed and the band explores it.

This all sounds great, but to the kids stuck in early 2000s emo-bubbles, it's just okay. Even though the fans of the band have likely grown-up, that's not what they want out of their high school heroes. At this point, the Casket Lottery are in their 30's, long gone are the teenage problems they screamed about over the course of several albums. They probably have kids now and wives (or divorces) and relationships centered around adult problems, not teenage drama. It's an age where just out of fucking nowhere, Jeff Tweedy and Wilco make all the sense in the world. Punk rock politics seem trivial and you start to realize Fugazi (despite being incredible at any age) isn't the only band that matters.

It all shows on this LP. It's great, just like everything Casket Lottery did, the quality is here. Further, it's improved. The songs are spaced out, the groove is considered and the band attempts to crossover their punk influences into new tricks and influences works to a great extent. But, unfortunately, their fans wanted Moving Mountains Mach 2. So despite never losing their sound, only maturing, this album is doomed to be lesser Casket Lottery by the band's fans. Which is fine, I just hope when they get into Wilco, they give this another chance.

In the Branches

The Casket Lottery Possiblies and Maybes Second Nature/Status 2003

The Casket Lottery Possiblies and Maybes Second Nature/Status 2003 CAT#SN044/ST019

So much to say about the Casket Lottery...much of it I should share for other albums that I sadly do not have on vinyl.

First, the band's leader, Nathan Ellis, probably champions the local KC scene more than any other national touring band.  In the liner write up on this LP he gushes about Ed Rose, Kill Creek, the oft-forgotten Reflector, and the band he was a long time member for, Coalesce.  He's always been that way, it's no joke, it's not a shoutout to friends, it's his genuine take on the artists that surround him in town.

Locally, the Casket Lottery is a treasure, there's support, but, ultimately, KC is not a huge town.  A lot of passionate local music scensters would state they don't get the support they deserve.  Maybe the band doesn't, but again, there's not a huge market for angular indie rock here or many other places.  In the glory days of Shiner, Season to Risk, and Boys Life, it's not like those bands were playing arena's locally.  They were packing clubs and small venues.  They'd tour large venues with other acts, but not as a headliner.  So, the Casket Lottery has always fitted in where they needed to fit in.

However, the point I wanted to bring out is that nationally, the band has created a passionate fanbase.  Their records, like all indie bands, came out limited runs and command high dollar on the second hand market from fans.  You get on social media and you'll find kids raving about the band, bragging about the original issue albums they own, the time they saw them in a basement, etc.  They have a small, but amazingly devoted fanbase not just throughout the US but in Europe as well.

I've always felt that the reason is because quality has always been the band's number one concern.  I have never met anyone more passionate about the entire presentation than Nathan Ellis.  And when I say the entire presentation, I'm talking about everything.  For example, I remember when the band's first EP, "Dot, Dot, Dash, Something or Other Dot" was in the works.  Matt Rubin who was releasing stuff under his label, Paper Brigade, was initially involved and wanted to put out the EP.  At a show, I remember seeing Matt have a conversation with Nathan, afterwards Matt came to me shaking his head.  He explained to me that Nathan was talking to him about the packaging of the EP, how it had to have gold leaf printing or something.  Matt's major concern was he wasn't going to have the money to put out the product Nathan wanted and if he did, he wouldn't break even, he'd lose money.  For a fleeting moment, I was about to say to Matt I would help, but then I looked at the kid's face and realized he just wanted out, not assistance, he was scared to death of it.  Ultimately, Status Recordings released the EP, I'm pretty sure Rubin never bowed out (he would've gone through with it, too nice of a kid) it was just a situation in which Status could offer the Casket Lottery more in the way of distribution and opportunity.

That's Nathan Ellis, he's passionate about it right down to the last detail.  And, everything the band put out with their name on it is intricately designed and beautiful.  Obviously, it goes for the music as well.  This Double LP is a compilation of split EPs, compilation appearances, and a few new songs.  Surprisingly, there are no throw aways or embarrassing moments.  Even the early tunes that Ellis pokes fun at in his liners are above average tracks.  Most compilations like this are filled with dribble and garbage, I mean, have you heard REM's Dead Letter Office or locally, the Get Up Kids Eudora, there is some crap on albums like that.  This collection quality through and through.  It's a testament to the band's following.  If you're willing to put that much effort into every song, fans are going to react.  It's a Fugazi-esque way of doing things and the reason the band carries such a devoted fanbase.

Unteen
Priest Walks into a Bar