For their sixth studio album, and first album in six years, the Massachusetts post-rockers Caspian have elected to call their new collection simply Caspian. The quintet of Jonny Ashburn (guitar), Justin Forrest (drums), Philip Jamieson (guitar), Calvin Joss (guitar) and Jani Zubkovs (bass) found themselves trust in what defined them from the beginning rather than search for what they haven’t done yet. For someone who thought they’d encountered all the great instrumental bands, hearing this album was a real what the heck moment for me.
The majestic ‘Hiraeth’ opens the album with delicate clean guitars and sweeping strings, it’s lush, pastoral and wondrously cinematic. Truly beautiful and emotional. ‘Far Country’ really hits me in the feels with a lovely Celtic flavoured melody. The guitars have such a stunning tone to them, fusing with strings (at least I think so anyway) to bring a gorgeous epic sound. I’ve never pictured post rock being the soundtrack to a Ceili, until now! I’m sure touring buddies And So I Watch You From Afar will be very approving of this track. In some sections it sounds like their debut album, so it’s always going to be a winner with me.
If only ‘Remain’ had been around when the UK decided to pluck themselves out of the European Union. It could have served as a fitting soundtrack for those with a more moderate sensibility. Building up from acoustic picking and minimalist percussion the track provides an emotional pull as melodies swirl in the ether. As the layers of guitar build, and the drums pick up to something more powerful, you get swept along as strings merge for a glorious and rich sound. By the track’s stunning epic final stretch, there’s such a mighty fusion of guitars arcing out beautiful melodies.
Following up the stunning ‘Remain’ was always going to be a tricky affair but ‘A Great Fire’ drops in some gnarly bass to change the mood to something more menacing. The guitars have a mathy feel to them as they fight with time signatures for your attention. The heaviest tones on the album drop around the halfway mark as aggressive heavy riffs get right up in your face. ‘No One Left to Tell’ unleashes some atmospheric tones as a fuzzy tremelo-effect guitar brings a hazy feel. The track snakes with jarring percussion as a myriad of melodies swoop, this track has the most chopping dynamics, constantly evolving.
Album closer ‘Waltz for the End’ feels like a warm hug when the clean guitar melodies dance around you like fairies. It’s just a gorgeous sounding piece and gives the listener a feeling that everything is going to be okay, the world will eventually right itself of all the doom. The instrumentation is all consuming, with so many layers of melody and tones. What a beautiful way to finish the record and it’s all the more remarkable as it was created in just half an hour!
I’m thrilled to still be able to discover new bands from the world of instrumental guitar music. On one hand, I feel a little ashamed to not have paid attention to Caspian before now, but better to come late to the party than not show up at all. It seems fitting to begin my journey through their back catalogue with an eponymously named album. Caspian is a really captivating album from a band who know their strengths as the melodies here are sublime throughout.
