The Appleseed Cast

When The Appleseed Cast released its 1998 debut, The End Of The Ring Wars, the group was lumped in with the then-bearable emo scene, a product of its Lawrence, Kansas headquarters and relationship with Deep Elm Records (home to The Emo Diaries series)—not to mention those Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral references in an unfavorable Pitchfork review. But like a lot of bands from that era, the emo tag no longer applies to what The Appleseed Cast does today, which includes continuing experiments with synths and electronic noises. Focusing largely on instrumental tracks, the new Middle States EP signals a transitional period for the band that should be cemented by the 2012 release of its eighth studio full-length.

Updated 08/10/2011