WAKING SEASON

This is a really enjoyable Post-Rock album from an American band called CASPIAN. This is their third studio album and they are a six piece with three guitarists, drums, bass and keys/synths. So much of this is A+ for me but besides some not so great material my biggest issue are the intrusive drums. Either mixed high in this recording or simply loud on purpose, I don't know but that was an issue for me from the first spin. Too bad because this had 4.5 stars or more written all over it. Still this is a very solid 4 stars and one of the better Post-Rock albums I've reviewed of late. I like the title "Waking Season" the cover art not so much.

"Waking Season" opens with some powerful atmosphere that is replaced by piano quickly but the atmosphere will come and go until acoustic guitar takes over but then atmosphere is back one more time. A beat and full sound soon arrive. It starts building and it sounds really good at 4 1/2 minutes. It ends abruptly, too abruptly. "Procellous" opens with keys as atmosphere rolls in then a beat. It's building. It's heavier after 2 minutes and there's so much going on. They're kicking it pretty hard 3 minutes in with guitars over top. Powerful is the word after 4 minutes. It then settles back and continues to wind down as we get piano only to end it.

"Gone In Bloom And Bough" is a top three for me. The atmosphere gets louder as sounds start to pulse and drums join in. Melodic guitars before 1 1/2 minutes. Heavier drums follow and then some emotion before 3 minutes. It's even heavier before 4 1/2 minutes but then a calm arrives a minute later with atmosphere and picked guitar. Beautiful. It's slowly building again before it kicks in after 7 1/2 minutes and it picks up speed. A calm after 9 minutes as deep sound vibrate to end it. "Halls Of The Summer" has fast paced percussion and strummed guitar. More too actually as heavy drums kick in just before a minute.

"Akiko" is a pretty good tune and I especially like the sound at 2 minutes as we get some emotion with that guitar. It settles right down over the final minute a we can hear a baby laughing. "High Lonesome" opens with atmosphere that builds along with what sounds like vocal melodies. I really like this. Guitar before 3 1/2 minutes as the atmosphere stops. "Hickory '54" has heavy beats and guitar as spacey sounds and more are added as it builds. Post-Rock guitars come in over top at 3 1/2 minutes. Great sound to this one in the second half. Quite powerful and it winds down late.

"Long The Desert Mile" is a top three as well. Atmosphere and picked guitar as drums join in. Vocal melodies a minute in and this is emotional. Love this! Back to the guitars. How good does this sound 3 1/2 minutes in as the guitar lights it up. Such an uplifting sone. "Collider In Blue" is a 2 1/2 minute soundscape of mostly spacey atmosphere that sounds like an intro for the closer "Fire Made Flesh" my final top three. That spacey atmosphere from the previous song continues here as it blends into it. Drums and guitar start to rise out of this eventually and soon it's getting powerful around 2 1/2 minutes. It continues to build as a wall of sound hits us with heavy drums. Check out the sound before 4 1 1/2 minutes, so catchy and heavy. Spacey sounds join in too making this sound amazing! The guitars are soloing over top. It's building again. Heavy duty to end it as it ends abruptly.

A must listen for Post-Rock fans out there.