Cassels - The Perfect Ending
Pure anarchy in the most flattering way
Humans are destroying the world, and if you ask Jim Beck from Cassels, he'd say; “If you reflect on humanity's contribution to the planet as a whole, we totally deserve to die.” But if you listen to their debut album The Perfect Ending, you can at least grab a glimpse of humor in our inescapable demise. Let me tell you ladies and gents, this album is one big ball of magnificence. From start to finish, there are unexpected bursts of instruments, from soft to hard sounds, and no two songs are the same.
“A Snowflake In Winter” made me fall in love with the album, 20 seconds in. There’s a grungy, dooming sound found throughout the album but firstly presented to us in this song. It explodes almost immediately, but the chorus is one big hazardous eruption and the deeper you delve into the album, you realize this is just the beginning of big bangs.
There is a special moment or outstanding instant in each song that catches you by surprise but always fits perfectly into the song. “All The St John’s Wort In The World” has a gradual approach, and again features a chaotic chorus. There is also a crazy mashup of instruments towards the end, which is this song’s ‘special’ moment. “Mink Skin Coat” has a slower pace and a kooky guitar, but even though it is more of a stripped-back song, it hits 3 minutes and turns into a wild crashing of instruments, yet another unexpected ‘special’ moment of the album.
“Melting Butter”’ is a chaotic instrumental. Although missing lyrics, it certainly is not lacking anything. The highlight of the album is around the fourth minute in this song. That slowed down but heavier disruption always grabs my attention and, in my opinion, is always a good idea in a heavy song. Chaos is the key to this album. It is a chaos that has been performed perfectly. Jim and Loz Beck have produced a sound where it seems like they just play whatever comes to mind, it’s not too over-thought but in turn, have composed absolutely epic stuff.
“In The Zoo They Feed Him Nuts” is a song about sexual assault and victim-blaming. This is a great example of storytelling through music. The music accompanying the lyrics fit really well and evolves as the story does. I particularly love the drums in this one. “The Perfect Ending” has a booming intro with the change of tempos. It’s like at first it is heading one way then suddenly, it’s heading the other. There is no pattern to this one! But that is why the album is epic. The song arrangements are so entertaining and unpredictable. “The Queue At The Chemists” references depressing issues yet makes you laugh, and there are some radical instrumental moments. It is now evident that Cassels have a habit of throwing some heavy drops at the ending of their songs, and “The Queue At The Chemists” drops it hard.
Cassels are the band that reassures you that genuine, no bullshit music is not dead. The Perfect Ending is pure anarchy in the most flattering way. No two songs follow the same composition and it keeps you in suspense of what will happen next. Gosh, I love an unpredictable song, and this is an entire album of them so it’s a big tick of approval from me. I couldn’t tell you which genre they fit into perfectly, and neither can they, and I think that is why they have produced such a fresh album, they haven’t followed any rules. I hope Jim and Loz keep away from the traditional thinking of making music and stick to however they create their songs.
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