Oh yes, Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas to be exact. What am I talking about? I have no idea. I know nothing about Lawrence let alone Kansas. But I do know that there is a small band called The Appleseed Cast that comes from this Midwest city. Out of Kansas and into your CD collection. The Appleseed Cast's sophomore album (Deep Elm Records) can only be described in a few words. Amazing, Beautiful, and Perfect. Yes, perfect. Mare Vitalis, which is Latin for "Sea Life," is post-hardcore, post-punk, emo, rock 'n' roll, indie rock... whatever you want to call it... perfection.

I got a chance to see Appleseed Cast at Cornerstone '99. I was really impressed. I thought they were full of energy and emotion. But this CD put them over the top. In the midst of a mix of beauty and chaos comes perfection. This CD not only makes you think but it tells a story. I have fallen in love with this CD. The first track sets a tone of feelings and emotions. With the third track totally blowing me away. Such melody and harmony mixed with emotion and powerful lyrics. It makes you just think about your life.

Three of the songs have 18 lyrics or less. That's 18 words to one song. That is not a lot. But. The music and power of those few words make up for it all. Sometimes less is more. Tract four is instrumental and so is track eleven. They both have this form of chaos and off beat music that just goes together and just changes the pace of the album but gives it more power. You can get lost in this album. If I had to compare this album or this band to any other artist... I think I would be making a huge mistake. It's like adding Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, and Dear Ephesus all together and also adding so much original material that the other 3 bands don't matter. Get this CD. You won't regret it. It will make you want to go to the shore line and think about your life and look at God's creation. I give it 10 tears out of 10.

- Review date: 1/8/00, written by Chaz Murphy