Caravels
Lacuna
Topshelf Records (2013)
Score: 9/10
If you’re not careful, a Caravels album will shape-shift into one long jam session, one continuous musical journey that exhibits both sides of the same indie, post-hardcore coin. On the one, more identifiable side of the coin, Caravels is menacingly intense and naturally heavy. The drums pound and the guitars groan; the crashes resound and the heads bang. But on the other side, Caravels can make a song amble along using only an ambient bass line, spacey guitar licks, and distant vocals. Some songs are barks and some are whimpers, but most are fantastically both.
The title track on Caravels’ first full-length, Lacuna, introduces us to the album with their subtle flare for the dramatic, evidenced by their mid-track breaks with lonely vocals, only to return heavier than before. And it’s that heaviness that defines the band. Kids these days seem to associate “heavy” with double bass and four different breakdowns in a four-minute song. But Caravels are classically heavy, the riffs have a guttural groan and every tom and cymbal on that drum kit is getting absolutely worn out.
Lacuna’s second track, “Tangled” would shine a little brighter if not for the gem that follows it. “Having Had & Lost Some Infinite Thing” has a riff and drum pattern that combines to provide the steady, intricate melody Caravels songs are known for. But the most noteworthy part is the respite after two minutes that sounds like something you’d have heard from American Football.
“New Zealand” follows the same template and unfortunately seems dull by comparison, but the slack is quickly picked up by “Hundred Years,” the catchy indie-type song that they’ve showcased at recent shows around town. Its simplicity stands out because Caravels songs tend to wind, weave and make you follow. So this basic, addictive little riff that escalates throughout the track is a nice break.
The timid “Hanging Off” introduces some pretty great guitar effects that we’ll hear through the rest of the record. There’s distorted feedback, whammy bar action, and all kinds of crazy pedals used in the last four songs, all of which is pretty awesome on the ears.
“Sleep Talk” is a highlight for me because of the melodic heaviness that finally takes center stage. There’s a dark feeling that looms over every note and crash. “Ordinary Lives,” while great on its own, only ends up being a perfect preview for the final and best track on Lacuna, “Dog Days.” The first two minutes will take you through a vicious rumble of drums and chords until the song is enlivened with the familiar, piercing wail of their guitars, but only briefly. The following passage of a cool drum pattern and a crazy effect on the guitar is mesmerizing to say the least, but it’s succeeded by one of the most beautiful pieces of music this band has yet put together. “You’re a fool…if you honestly think…you have say…in what you believe/You’re set in stone, your skin and bones/You’re all you’ll ever be, all you’ll ever be” are the faint yells that ride over heavy drums and bittersweet guitar licks in the most captivating thirty seconds of the whole record. Caravels couldn’t have picked a better song to end Lacuna with.
Lacuna is softer than Caravels’ previous work. There isn’t a bonafide mosh part or breakdown, no double bass pedals. Just classic, heavy riffs, an intensely intricate drummer, and vocals yelling out introspective, heavyhearted prose. This album straddles the fence between commotion and elegance; it will calm you one second and enrage you the next. When Lacuna comes out March 26, take some time out of your day to play it in its entirety and enjoy a band that genuinely cares about the art form.
Lacuna is available for pre-order now at the Topshelf Records store.
– Felipe Garcia
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