Casket - Casket

01. Shiver
02. I Had Dreams
03. Breathe
04. Nothing Left
05. Demolished Towers
06. Grown/Bitter
07. We Were Once

It seems to me there are two schools of emo/skramz these days: the twinkly, guitar-virtuoso types (the midwest seems to be churning out these bands in droves, and at high-quality, too) with discordant vocals and multiple time signatures; on the other end of the spectrum, you find solid four-chord rockers who have studied at the helm of Jade Tree and Deep Elm, keep their vocals melodic and on-key, and know how to write a sing-a-long chorus you can't resist. Casket falls deftly into the latter category (add the word "lottery" to their band name and you're probably looking at a genuine influence), with big hooks and catchy choruses, both guitarists and the drummer share vocal duties on these tracks. This isn't groundbreaking emo work, but Casket has found a way to personally own tried and tested formulas and craft an album that is consistently a joyous listen. Their self-titled album finds Casket growing leaps and bounds in production and prowess from their demo released earlier this year; 'Grown/Bitter' the only track found on both, is a clear testament to this. If this is the amount of progress we can continue to expect from Casket, their next outing is sure to be stunning.

Reviewed by Daniel.

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