The Casket Lottery
Smoke and Mirrors
Second Nature
Perhaps the kindest thing anyone can say about emo is that it’s probably the most traveled slippery slope that takes kids away from the mainstream and into the fertile delta of independent music. With references to revealing scars, fighting for air, et cetera, it’s undeniable that The Casket Lottery are a bruised shade of emo. But thankfully they keep clear of the over earnest Dashboard Confessional sleeves-of-broken-hearts delivery by changing their anguish to ire and aiming it at their enemies (the ubiquitous media, unfit parents, etc.) and eliminating all but the bitterest remnants of the requisite emo whine.
The band’s music is a giant leap away from aggro and relies on a complex, angular post-hardcore template to buffer the lyrics. The band provides even more distance from their contemporaries with “On the Air,” where the verses verge on almost ethereal, lilting 4AD currents.
While there is plenty emoting and frenetic musicianship to be had here, The Casket Lottery maintain a level of restraint and maturity that’s lacking in most of this type of music. Apparently the band’s future is somewhat nebulous, but whether they stick together or not doesn’t change the fact that they’ve made some decent indie rock and helped set some kids on the right path while doing it.
Second Nature: http://www.secondnaturerecordings.com
