Hymn For The Greatest Generation

Description

Blame 'Explosions in the Sky' if you must, but the irony of "post-rock" is that the term has fundamentally become a way to describe instrumental acts that use almost all the signifiers of traditional rock music, except for vocals. Over the last decade, Caspian has tried to look beyond the typical dynamics of spark and burn, and their 2012 LP 'Waking Season' was the culmination of an evolution from a conscientious replication of EITS/Mogwai to a patient and regal sound worthy of their name. On the title track of their new EP, 'Hymn for the Greatest Generation' - the first album from the Massachusetts band since the death in August 2013 of bassist Chris Friedrich - Caspian continued to be the most regal of the new school of instrumental rock. It is sweet and melodic without resorting to the usual lattice of delayed guitar, heavy without stomping on the distortion pedal just when you expect it, seven minutes of confident build and recession rich in melody and movement. This is not post-rock: "Hymn for the Greatest Generation" is a rock song, albeit exceptionally beautiful.