We can change if we want to, but it won’t be right.
The ambitious title of Sagarmatha, literally meaning Head of the Sky, is the Appleseed Cast’s latest album, released in mid-February. The title leads you to believe they may have mastered something, but the album has a greater transitory quality than that of a masterpiece. Despite changes to their ensemble, the band has been together for over ten years, so when they title their album something as audacious as the Napali translation of Mt. Everest, I have to believe they have achieved their goals.
Sagarmatha doesn’t bear much resemblance to their earlier albums, especially Mare Vitalis, my favorite. Although I didn’t know they had been around for over five years, I first fell in love with the Appleseed cast in 2005 and saw them play in Pittsburgh. Their live show was very similar to their albums, but the lyrics are less decipherable and the volume is more deafening than one might imagine.
The new record as a whole feels like trying to remember the hazy details of a nostalgic summertime memory, especially the first track. As The Little Things Go begins, the the recognizable Appleseed Cast sound encapsulates you with a dreamlike quality, but is almost overcome at 4:30 with what I have always known to be as a typical Explosions in the Sky sound. While certainly a feat, if you manage to keep your attention on the song throughout the eight minutes the payoffs will be great. But just in case your wandering mind gets the best of you, the lyrics come in at about the six minute mark and demand your attention before fading into the next track.
My favorites songs on the album are actually the middle three. The Summer Before is one of the most lyrically dense songs on the record, and clocking in at a brief 3:09, it definitely will keep you listening intently. One Reminder, An Empty Room is more of a segue into the next track than a song on its own, but it is very unlike anything else on the rest of the album. The melody has a definite beginning and ending, making it easy to follow, easy to listen to, and easy to enjoy. Raise the Sails begins with the band’s normal sound and very reduced vocals. The clangor of the introduction gives way at 1:20 when the song inspires perfect imagery of a storm clearing up and the sun peaking through. At 1:40 the tempo changes and shakers and bells pick up the mood of the whole song until the three minute mark when there is undeniable trouble brewing. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure they composed the formation of a rainbow at 3:30.
Whether the southwest beat of An Army of Fireflies or the subdued techno beat of Like a Locus (Shake Hands with the Dead), I’ve found that each song is quite unlike the next. While I don’t know that I’d call it the Head of the Sky yet, Sagarmatha is a unique in its own right and far from a disappointment as a seventh album from the Appleseed Cast.
