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Listings are
in the opposite order of appearance: headliner is listed at the top,
next is the support band(s),
and the last band listed is the opener.
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Wednesday
May 15 2013 9:00PM -- doors at 8:30PM ••• 21 AND OVER $12 in advance / $14 at the door The Appleseed Cast www.theappleseedcast.com/ indie post-rock Hospital Ships hospitalships.bandcamp.com/ catmusic folk fuzz music The Dandelion War www.facebook.com/thedandelionwar Indie / Ambient / Post-Rock The Appleseed Cast from Lawrence, Kansas Hospital Ships from Lawrence, Kansas The Dandelion War It seems that most of the time, we forget about what music really is. Yes, as the site’s slogan infers, music is there to soundtrack every emotion, feeling and thought that we have every day. We listen to it to entertain ourselves, to cheer ourselves up, to recall a memory, the list goes on. However, we tend to forget, at the heart of it all, music exists as an artform. Something to inspire us, something that can be beautiful and life-affirming. The Dandelion War don’t forget this fact, however. They embrace it with open arms and make music that, all emotions aside, is beautiful. Sounding like what would happen if someone melted Explosions In The Sky, Radiohead and The Antlers’ Hospice together, The Dandelion War’s sophomore album, We Were Always Loyal To Lost Causes is one of the most attractive albums that you will hear this year. The band are relatively young but craft post-rock that will leave you with goosebumps. The album ebbs and flows deep in the throes of fragile instrumentation, epic build ups and exploding crescendos, intricate guitar lines, pulsating electronic beats, and quietly intense vocals. All of this is teamed with an indie rock sensibility that makes the album that bit more accessible than many of its post-rock peers. The album starts off with the slow, ambient introduction of “Strange Ghosts” which, after collapsing into twinkling, leads into the simply spectacular “Drafters”. Baring a little resemblance to The Antlers’ “Wake”, the song is seven minutes of gentle vocals, which make way for a steady build up before an eventual controlled crescendo. Honestly, beautiful. “1848” is another choice cut, with it’s delicate lyrics and intricate instrumentation being quite masterful. It can’t be stressed enough, how well crafted this album is. They never put a foot wrong, with each member of the band working together in a way that every part of each song is essential. They manage to avoid falling into common traps of post-rock bands, never once does it get boring, they never overstay their welcome on on one song, and each track is the perfect length. Also, each track can stand on its own feet outside of the album, with the beauty not being reliant on the rest of the record. The closer “Stone Castles” is as epic as they come, and features some of the most emotional instrumental music any listener will hear. Overall, The Dandelion War are an unbelievably talented band. We Were Always Loyal To Lost Causes is as a close to a perfect post-rock album as you can get. However, this is an album for all music fans. The Dandelion War crafts music that is accessible to anyone who’s ever listened to and liked guitar music. The songwriting is quite amazing considering the age of the band and The Dandelion War are clearly talented people. Simply beautiful. __[ Kelly Doherty ]. "The Dandelion War successfully does the airy, Radiohead meets Sigur Ros thing, though not as long-winded. Like other bands in the genre, dynamics shift between multi-instruments, and strong beats provide a solid backdrop for the melodies. The vocals sometimes give way to the playing, which will keep the band from leaning into Coldplay territory. It sounds like they think that's a good thing." -Oakland Tribune "Like Explosions (in the Sky), The Dandelion War use shimmering guitars, building drums and crescendos of noise to paint pictures." -Bandsofthebay.com |
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