EP Review – Cast Of The Capital – "Rotten Kids & Haversacks"

Released on Kittiwake Records.

Reviewed by Lucky

In between selling out gigs in that there London, and chumming up to the likes of Vic Galloway and Steve Lamacq, Aberdeen’s indie darlings Cast Of The Capital have finally got round to releasing some material. Three years since their inception, this 4-piece have been steadily working away at their craft, building up a fan base, and have landed some pretty impressive slots at the likes of Rock Ness, Belladrum and the Wizard Festival. Could this be the year they break through?

I’ve finally managed to lay my hands on a copy of their debut EP, the confusingly-monikered “Rotten Kids & Haversacks” (there must be some story behind that title), and I’ve been looking forward to hearing it for some time. My first experience of Cast Of The Capital came on a sunny Saturday afternoon this summer as I was wandering around Belmont Street doing some shopping and happened across them playing a live set on the pavement outside One-Up. Stopping briefly to see what they sounded like, I was quickly hooked and ended up watching the whole set…

So to the EP. What hits you straight away when you put on this CD is excellent production on the tracks, and how well put together the songs are - they are all very well written, and are for the most part, 3 minute pop songs with catchy melodies, jangly guitars and some nice vocal harmonies. That’s not to say that these songs are in any way “obvious”, or straightforward, far from it in fact, the 5 tracks on this EP are quite a mixed bag, and can take you from soaring pop melodies to dark and introspective in the space of two songs. The first track “Comiston Springs” is a joyous affair and a great way to open any EP, poppy and upbeat with great production, a catchy chorus and a glorious middle 8 that makes you want to stand up from your chair and dance around like a character in a cheesy 80s teen movie. The second track “The Witching Hour” slows it down a bit, it’s more minor and opens with some beautifully played and sparse-sounding guitars, a theme that runs throughout the song, even after the rest of the instruments have joined in. The song lacks the instant hooks of the first track, but is still really well-written, with its many changes and its intricate guitar work. Track three, “Passing The Horse” is musically more similar to the first track, it has a jangly 60s vibe, great harmonies, nice lead guitar work and some lovely backing vocals, and it’s kept short enough to hold the attention of even the most easily distracted. This song drills its way into way into your brain and just refuses to leave, this is the track you’ll find yourself whistling when you’re walking to work in the morning, unaware you’re even doing it. Unfortunately, the quality of the songs dips a little with the last two tracks. “Crematory Blues”, is a country-tinged slice of Americana, a stripped-down effort featuring just vocal and acoustic guitar. It jumps out as the weak link of the EP, and thankfully is kept to under two minutes as the lead vocal begins to grate a little. “Tree Sleep” bounces along nicely and is more straightforward indie than the rest of the EP but it doesn’t quite hit the heights of the first three tracks, though the 1 minute of instrumental near the end is arguably when the sound is at it’s fullest, as the guitars, which sounded throughout the EP as though they were played with only the gentlest of touches, really kick in and build up to a fairly rocking crescendo that closes off in the EP in style.

Overall, this a very decent debut EP from a band who really sound as though they have the potential to go far. It does run out of steam a little bit toward the end, but the three excellent tracks at the beginning more than re-dress the balance.

Rating - ****

Standout track – “Passing The Horse”

www.myspace.com/castofthecapital