Caspian's performance on Thursday night at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis was one that affirmed the group's stance within the instrumental rock world as a force to be reckoned with.
They took the stage to an audience who likely anticipated the angst-ridden lyrical content of Cursive or breezy vocal melodies of Minus The Bear, the two bands with which they shared the bill. The crowd, presumably mostly uninitiated, was quickly won over by the powerhouse created by their triple-guitar battalion.
While the set included favorites from The Four Trees and Tertia, it also included some interesting new material that showed their latest direction. These tracks featured heavily effected vocals courtesy of de-facto frontman Philip Jamieson. Sounding closer to a synthesizer than conventional vocals, it adds yet another ear-catching timbre to their sonic palette.
This marks the second time I've seen Caspian as an opening act and they are consistently a difficult one to follow. A successful Caspian gig can convert newcomers in to believers of the theory that music doesn't need vocals and lyrics (discernible ones anyway) to come across as thoroughly heartfelt and engaging, and this one delivered on all fronts.
Caspian's latest album, Waking Season, is coming out September 25th via Triple Crown Records.
They took the stage to an audience who likely anticipated the angst-ridden lyrical content of Cursive or breezy vocal melodies of Minus The Bear, the two bands with which they shared the bill. The crowd, presumably mostly uninitiated, was quickly won over by the powerhouse created by their triple-guitar battalion.
While the set included favorites from The Four Trees and Tertia, it also included some interesting new material that showed their latest direction. These tracks featured heavily effected vocals courtesy of de-facto frontman Philip Jamieson. Sounding closer to a synthesizer than conventional vocals, it adds yet another ear-catching timbre to their sonic palette.
This marks the second time I've seen Caspian as an opening act and they are consistently a difficult one to follow. A successful Caspian gig can convert newcomers in to believers of the theory that music doesn't need vocals and lyrics (discernible ones anyway) to come across as thoroughly heartfelt and engaging, and this one delivered on all fronts.
Caspian's latest album, Waking Season, is coming out September 25th via Triple Crown Records.