THE CASTING OUT – “S/T”
What leaps out immediately from THE CASTING OUT’s self titled record is just how commanding and scene setting Nathan Gray’s voice is in the mix. Put simply: It’s more vocal acrobatics from Mr. Gray for the entire record over an early Fat Wreck/Lookout-ish melodic punk record that sounds somehow right, as if the band is just having fun in the studio, with a couple good songs and just letting the rest roll wherever it falls.
Fun might be the watchword here, but I can’t help thinking there’s a little bit more silliness in the songs than I’m used to. Maybe I’m used to hearing Nathan Gray’s voice in a Very Serious context, whether it’s the hyper-political BOYSETSFIRE or the original CASTING OUT demos, but The Casting Out bursts with good humor. “Run Like Hell,” a song that starts out solemn and about fifteen seconds in gets turbo charged by a Nathan Gray yawp. It’s a gotcha moment on the level of a surprise birthday party, the lights are out, one of your friends leads you inside the house and then suddenly confetti is thrown in your face, color returns to the world and all your friends come out from behind furniture.
That said, the recording process might have been just a little bit too casual, seeing as the band sees fit to throw in at the end of every other track an inside joke from the studio. While reinforcing the giddy theme, it hurts the flow of the songs in sequence. But then again, the skip button’s been invented so it’s not too bad. The Casting Out clocks in at about 36 minutes, with all but one track falling between 2:30 and 3:30. The recording sounds a little bit muddy, lacking the polish and punch of many contemporary releases.
Aside from an oddly venomous breakdown to end the disc, The Casting Out feels giddy and open hearted. Levity is the word of the day. I don’t know if it’ll make my year end list, but it’s making my headphones right now.
- Jordan’s comments: This release is just all over the place. “Let It Bleed” sounds like an early BOYSETSFIRE song minus all the screaming, while “… Say It” is breezy, like a cross between AMERICAN STEEL and AS FRIENDS RUST. None of it is bad, but there’s only several flashes of intensity. Big hooks have never been a problem for Gray, and that’s the story here as well – “The Power and the Glory” is a feel-good sing-along anthem that sinks in further with each listen. I almost always stay away from numerical rankings, but this is classic 7/10 record – good enough to stick around a playlist, but short of something you’d immediately recommend to others.
