City of Refuge

Peter Cho / Managing Editor / The USD Vista

Let’s cut to the chase. This album sounds like it was recorded by a guy who lived in a cave for a hundred years armed only with a guitar and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

The tracks in relation to the album resemble a collection of poems rather than chapters in a novel, and the only bond of cohesion is the desolation one feels when listening to them.

The album, albeit depressing, bleeds with emotion and has its merits. The minimalist guitars, mixed with eerie vocals makes for an excellent soundtrack to explore your mind to, though the exploration won’t be a cheerful one. One can just imagine sitting on a porch in the middle of the Mojave, staring off into the moonlight plains while listening to “Refuge 1,” which isn’t to be confused with “Refuge 2.”

Castanets is led by San Diego native Raymond Raposa, and includes revolving members from Pinback and Rocket from the Crypt. According to allmusic.com, Raposa tested out of high school at age 15 to explore the U.S. for four years on a Greyhound bus. It was apparently a sad trip.

I’ll be honest here and let you know that I’m not a huge fan of this CD. As I’m listening to it in my living room at one in the morning, my mind is wandering through my past thinking of all the saddest things that have ever happened to me, the most notable being the time I found out my mom had killed my first hamster on accident after mistaking it for a rat.

Looking back at older albums like “Cathedral” or “First Light’s Freeze,” both of which were well received by Pitchfork Media, show a similar pattern of creepy music that makes you feel like you’re drowning in sorrow. If you think I emphasized the sadness of the album too much, go listen for yourself, it’s actually that depressing.