Castevet – Summer Fences

The first track on Castevet’s Count Your Lucky Stars debut, “Summer Fences,” introduces the listener to what might, at first glance, seem like the awesome pairing of Look Mexico and Polar Bear Club.  Meandering post-rock melodies set the album’s tone, only to launch head-long into a gruff and emotional set of vocals instantly reminiscent of the aforementioned Polar Bear Club.  It’s an unusual combo that genuinely caught me off guard after having initially brushed the band off as a Look Mexico clone – which is simply not the case.

Castevet follow a basic pattern heavy on vision and purpose, but refreshingly abstract in direction.  In other words much like a less vocal heavy Minus the Bear, every song features lush instrumentals defined by a mix of post-rock and post-hardcore that breaks free from the constraints of a typical verse-chorus-verse formula.  Even tracks seldom define themselves discretely.  Songs tend to play off and into one another effortlessly, ditching the trend of definite openings and conclusions (hence the lack of specific track references in this review).  The vocals, which feel almost tucked away behind a wall of sound, come and go as needed.  As someone who typically prefers vocal-led acts I thought the prospect of sporadic vocal teasers might be a turn-off – especially when the vocal style fits right in with my preferences – but alas, the band’s musicianship prevailed, and their combination of glimmering guitars, and maturely intermingling passages easily won me over.

My only point of contention is purely one of preference – that being that eight songs played in this style can run the risk of blending together.  What it comes down to is embracing Summer Fences for what it is.  It is tempting to get hung up on the fact that Castevet isn’t particularly aggressive in their approach despite their obvious influences.  In other words, that despite drawing upon one of the most urgent sounding acts in recent memory in Polar Bear Club, they don’t have a particularly “punchy” delivery.

However, I never felt the need to skip tracks or move onto something new, so rest assured, fans of post-hardcore have nothing to fear; although I would still caution that others should at least know what they’re getting themselves into before making the plunge.

As far as meandering dreamscapes go, Castevet’s debut is right up there with the best of them.  Like Look Mexico and Minus the Bear, the band’s attention to detail and experimentation is top notch.  And while some, like myself, might latch onto and crave more of that apparent Polar Bear Club vocal influence, it’s not hard to just sit back and appreciate Summer Fences for the peaceful listen it is.