Castevet – The Echo and The Light
Written By: Ahti on August 3, 2010
391 Comments
“I can fancy a man who had led a perfectly commonplace life, hearing by chance some curious piece of music, and suddenly discovering that his soul, without his being conscious of it, had passed through terrible experiences, and known fearful joys, or wild romantic loves, or great renunciations” -Oscar Wilde“The Echo and the Light” holds an everlasting peace of mind that comes with time, the pleasant effect stays with a bittersweet wave of nostalgia, and instead of casual good-bye’s it produces a sense of holding on to ones memories. They are most definitely part of the 90’s punk/ emo culture, but are opening up to a much more varied set of instrumentation than their predecessors. The record somewhat redefines the sub-genre, producing the sound carefully between traditional and modern use of instruments and gathering influence from older punk, emo, indie-rock and early steps of post-rock. Not to mention the emphasis and core of Castevet, the crunchy voice behind it all, painting simple, yet passionate melodies and lyrics.
It may be hard to decide whether “The Echo and the Light” is a concept album or not, as it lacks a clear storyline, but at the same time is really comfortable to follow by the recurring mood and repeating themes of the record. Lyrically, its a beautifully crafted piece, anchored by remenessing about older, and possibly better times. But at the same time having a greater sense of hope and happiness. To me it seems that the beginning of the album “Six Parts Summer” and the ending “Cities and Memory”are the highlights of this release, definitely worthy to check out even if you’re not a fan of the genre.
All in all, Chicago’s Castevet has released a remarkable album. One may consider punk as a genre which time and place occurred couple of decades ago, but Castevet proves the quality of old-school punk in a modern context, turning it into newer and fresher shape. Possibly greatest thing about the record is that its current, it’s happening as we speak. Castevet is an ageless journey, a bridge between then and now. Fans of American Football, Mineral, Appleseed Cast and Minus the Bear should be psyched.
Score: 9/10
