Cavil At Rest remind me a lot of Gatsbys American Dream, which is no bad thing at all. I first came across them on the Calamity Records comp, with the track 'Flower of Rhodes' really standing out from the pack. This three-track, self-released EP shows immense talent and I very much look forward to where Cavil decide to go next. The band seem to be able to switch from being very melodic to being a lot more chaotic - although still in a sweet way - very easily, and that's something I really like. It's the ability to unravel into something hummable that I really like about intriguing bands, and Cavil manage to twist and turn sufficiently well enough to keep me interested.
'Flower Of Rhodes' mixes pop with piano, guitar effects and timid drums, creating a real spellbinding blend that will have you hooked in no time. What suits them so well is the fact they don't tend to stick to a rigid format for their songs, they instead tend to allow the guitars to meander their way through, like Gatsbys do oh-so-well. There's even some kind of a cappella singing and handclapping during the outro, which gains a full star on its own. '1948' is arguably better than the first song, even if it takes a bit longer to settle. Ryan Hahn has a really delicate yet sweet vocal, and the fragility really suits his band. By the time this song builds up to its awesome crescendo, you know you're listening to something pretty special. I'm not sure if Cavil have sorted a label out yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a whole host of them banging on the door...
www.cavilatrest.com
Paul
