“Songs from the Second Floor” Review

A Cast of Thousands received an excellent review of their new album in the most recent issue of Big Takeover Magazine by Mark Suppanz. Check it out below…

A Cast of Thousands

Songs from the Second Floor

(Records Records)

On their eighth album, this Auburn/Finger Lakes, NY outfit, led by husband and wife co-lead singers Terry Cuddy and Beth Beer, further sharpens the stylistic breadth shown on 2019’s Sleeping World. So much so, the first three tracks each sound like different bands: “No Detection” is burbly, Wire-meets-Devo new wave and krautrock, “Decades” is an airy, theatrical, piano-led waltz, and “Heading Nowhere Again” is “Everybody’s Talkin” hued folk-rock with psychedelic shading. On the second half, the crunchy Visqueen-esque rocker “Astrological Signs” and speedier, Rezillos-like “Holiday in Amerika” are balanced by two alluring, Susanna Hoffs-evoking ballads crooned by Beer, “Red Line” and “Hyper Individual.” While the LP is named for Roy Andersson’s bleak 2000 Swedish black comedy, and its lyrics seem inspired by the film’s story of an abandoned society’s loss of hope and communal connection, the music is always radiant and engaging.

(record-records.bandcamp.com)

—Mark Suppanz, The Big Takeover, Issue No. 91

“Big White Lie” Single is out

Stripped down and bare bones. A Cast of Thousands present the first single off of their upcoming album “Sleeping World.” The song was produced by Eric Harvey and Terry Cuddy and is available on all streaming digital media platforms. The video was shot and edited by Jesse Conti.

A Cast of Thousands “Big White Lie” – Video produced by Jesse Conti

Read Paul Silver’s Review of the BEIGE album!

http://www.jerseybeat.com/paulsilver.html

“Upstate New York’s indie-psych-folk band A Cast of Thousands  returns with a new full-length LP. Like past efforts, “The Beige” contains some gorgeous, laid-back songs that have both a 60s hippy vibe and a modern indie sensibility. I adore Beth Beer’s vocals; they’re just perfect for this style of music. And while there’s still plenty of psych here, there’s more emphasis on the indie this time around. Like on “Gaslight,” which opens the album. It’s a waltz time song that’s more firmly in the modern indie era than anything else A Cast of Thousands has presented before. But just like their entire catalog, the song is delicate and pretty. “Outlier” brings things back to more “traditional” territory for the band, with the psych-folk vibe. It’s another waltz-time track, still delicate, still beautiful. I really like the minimalist guitar line during the verses, just a single plucked string, loaded with vibrato, repeating the same simple line over and over.” Adventurer” is back on the indie-side with a strong power pop influence that I like. Some of the tracks focus on a more acoustic folk sound, like “Magical Thinking” and “Around These Parts.” These just add to the relaxed, laid-back feel of the album. I like how the penultimate song, “Regret,” builds in intensity throughout the track and then ends abruptly, unfinished, like many things in life we all regret. After a short pause, the album closes with “Savior,” the prefect song to sum up A Cast of Thousand’s style – part folk, part psych, and part indie, with Beer’s smooth, even keeled vocals. This is the perfect album for listening indoors on a cold winter weekend day – it provides a nice warmth.
–Paul Silver, Jersey Beat Fanzine

 

Rock-n-Roll from History's Hometown