"An experiment that could only result from following one's heart, Low Level Owl: Volume 1 from The Appleseed Cast is a beautiful quilt of varied musical textures. Carefully layering simple, clean riffs over delayed single notes to create multiple harmonies melded with thunderous beats and nearly hypnotic loops, this recording gives sound and space dimension seldom stumbled upon within the recording studio. Intricately decorated with sparse arrangements of guitar and piano, this record is based on the fact that the vibe comes first and foremost and that every instrument is just that...an instrument, a tool to establish a greater whole. This record stands on its own." - Punk Planet

"Low Level Owl is a supernova and a full redefinition of The Appleseed Cast...a sprawling two-disc monster that redirects their ambition from the emotional release of their earlier albums into the meticulous conceptions crafted through endless hours of studio time. Overhauling their sound and incorporating a wide melange of styles, the technical execution throughout the album is flawless. Just the arrangement of the music alone shows the amount of thought that goes into an album of this size. There are hints of Stone Roses, My Bloody Valentine and Built to Spill - all embedded a lush wave of production reminiscent of the Flaming Lips, Spiritualized or Mogwai. With Low Level Owl, they establish their own unique vision for the future of rock, offering hope and brighter possibilities for the genre...or rather, creating their own. It's time to herald The Appleseed Cast for what they are now, and what they're about to become: ground breaking." - Pitchfork

"The Appleseed Cast's newest project, Low Level Owl, seeks to be as epic in scope as albums such as OK Computer and Zen Arcade. Sporting an all-around air of intellectualism, The Appleseed Cast are definitely setting the bar high for Low Level Owl...now, hearing half of it I'm convinced they can pull it off. Tending more away from traditional pop structure and taking the form of extended, epic non-songs, it's like being trapped inside a whirlpool...you keep seeing the same points over and over, even though you're propelled ever-forward. There's an undeniable claustrophobic quality that contrasts the ambient instrumental experiments wonderfully. Low Level Owl is a really great record, and The Appleseed Cast are an exciting and vital band who are pushing the limits of their sound." - Deep Fry Bonanza

"The two volume set from The Appleseed Cast that is Low Level Owl honestly leaves me speechless. I didn't stop listening to this for days after I got them. This is a masterpiece. They experiment with lots of ideas and sounds and have created a perfect blend of dynamics and sound. Everything from the music to the art and layout is perfect. I think if I could recommend one selection, Low Level Owl would be it. Incredible and a half." - Invisible Youth

"Honestly, Low Level Owl Volume I is one of the greatest albums I've heard in quite some time. The Appleseed Cast flows with sincerity and angelic swells of fourteen very impressive tracks. This record has it all and experiments with innovative sounds with varying instruments and amazing loops. Trying to compare the Appleseed Cast with another band is near impossible. I cannot stress how beautiful this album is and I eagerly await Volume II. If you're into mellow, dynamic and outright emotional music, The Appleseed Cast is a definite must. This whole record enthralls me." - Punkhardcore

"Low Level Owl Volume I from The Appleseed Cast is one of the best albums to come out this year...one of the best to come out in recent memory, truth be told. It has been stuck in my stereo for weeks now, and every day I anxiously wait for the postman to arrive with Volume II. The Appleseed Cast have recorded 26 utterly gorgeous songs spread out over two albums, and the result is utter devotion to the rapture they've created. With the vocals blurring into the background and the focus on the sonic textures of each, the songs avoid becoming maudlin and instead weave a lush blanket of warm, inviting melancholy. It's not what's being sung or played - it's the way in which it's being done and the beautiful ache it leaves in its place. The songs shift and slip between each other through a series of instrumental bridges consisting of backwards loops, drum samples, and other smartly used covert effects, and listening through Low Level Owl you can tell that a painstaking amount of time and attention was paid to each sound and each nuance, all enticing one's ears with a cacophony of aural delight. The Appleseed Cast, on the first volume of Low Level Owl can do no wrong; instead, they prove further that such musicianship and dedication to its muse should not go unnoticed. Don't let this one pass you by." - Ear Pollution

"Low Level Owl: Volume I does to music what poetry does to literature, and The Appleseed Cast seems to have reached epic heights with this new record. The songs that are orchestrated on this disk are warm, sensitive tunes that seem to flow through one another, resulting in one big parable. They manage to fit these pieces together in a way that builds an atmosphere and makes you wish you were in heaven already. If you want a sound that is both innovative and mind-distracting, this is the one for you." - Punk Updates

"Low Level Owl: Volume I from The Appleseed Cast is the 20 year-old bottle of champagne equivalent to music. Both epitomize perfection to those people who have the refined taste to appreciate them. In terms of quality, there is simply none better. In that sense, the Appleseed Cast have composed one of the finest pieces of music this generation will ever hear. This album is mellow; it's multi-faceted; it's poetic; it's full of imagery and emotion. For maximum enjoyment, you've got to lie back, close your eyes and absorb it. The Appleseed Cast have redefined the genre that has been redefined more often that it has been adhered to, and I'm pretty certain there isn't another band out there like this one." - Punk International

"The Appleseed Cast is romantic, airy, deep, wooing, heartfelt...there are so many words to describe Low Level Owl: Volume I. It is instrumental bliss, pure feeling and intensity. Listening to this flowing album is an incredible experience. I expected nothing but the best from these guys and that is exactly what they delivered. The most notable song on the album has to be Steps And Numbers...the lyrics just hit you and leave you in question and wonderment. Very powerful stuff. This is a definite must for anyone that enjoys having a few moments alone to ponder life and everything involved." - Punk Bands

"Low Level Owl: Volume I is the best music The Appleseed Cast has ever produced, pushing the envelope of indie rock, emo, recording techniques and musicianship into a place that has rarely been visited. Choosing to create a 53 minute long soundscape of melody, rhythm and emotion, Low Level Owl's fourteen tracks do not divide the album up into abrupt fragments, but rather act as road signs guiding the listener through a seamless sonic journey. They should not even be considered as moments of expression and emotion. Each moment bleeds effortlessly into the next leaving the listener to make distinctions between the changing concepts and ideas on their own. Low Level Owl: Volume I is a product of love, imagination and devotion that can only come from a band that has the one simple goal of making music. You have to listen to The Appleseed Cast yourself to understand. Low Level Owl is an amazing display of music." - RockKansas

"I cannot even begin to tell you how rare it is to listen to a band with the amount of heart that The Appleseed Cast puts into their music. Their latest offering, Low Level Owl Volume I, starts out on a surreal plane with very relaxing instrumentals and ends with a tribute to modern technology swirling into oblivion. the greatest thing about this record is how well everything blends together. They have a totally unique style that can only be described as The Appleseed Cast. Go grab this wonderful example of the of the new generation of indie rock." - Graynoise

"Low Level Owl: Volume I is the sound of a band forging ahead into a vast sonic wonderland. The majority of the record's fourteen tracks sound as they've been wrapped in a blanket of pure white snow, allowing only the purest essences of sound to escape their icy surroundings. Steps And Numbers and Blind Man's Arrow are rich with gauzy abandon, while the crystalline beauty of the chiming Sentence and the cinematic grandeur of Flowers Falling From Dying Hands are certainly the most beautiful songs The Appleseed Cast has ever committed to tape. Rather than expressing it with a yelp or a series of scathing guitar runs, The Appleseed Cast have rolled all their pain and anguish into beautiful passages of flowing, unearthly melody and trance-inducing journeys into the heart of everything that has ever mattered. Make no mistake, their passion remains...magnified one hundred times...refined and redirected to suit their present state of mind. For those fans who thought Mare Vitalis was a departure...you ain't heard nothing yet." - Splendid

"There just no way to define the outer limits of The Appleseed Cast's sound, and on Low Level Owl Volume I the boys sure do push whatever envelope might exist in the nether regions of conceptual indie rock. The songs shimmer and there's definitely a reflective quality to the sound. The Appleseed Cast have put together another stunner. These guys are among the most creative and innovative folks around, period. Very few bands could make an album half as good. Again, I'm left speechless." - Aiding And Abetting

"Low Level Owl Volume I sees The Appleseed Cast take one giant leap away from the sound that has followed them around for the better part of their career, now veering more toward dreamy, ambient sounds and long, drawn out experiments with things like tape loops and synthesizers. Driven by smooth, pretty melodies and the presence of what sounds like an old exhoplex or a similar machine, their experiments are largely successful. All in all, Low Level Owl is impressive." - Basement Life

"Anyone who is able to step back from the mayhem of life and take a good look at what The Appleseed Cast has done on Low Level Owl: Volume I will certainly be floored. The Cast have orchestrated a symphonic masterpiece, gliding effortlessly from one track into another. Ambience and environment are the keys here, and through a number of experiments and hard work, the band has made a piece that is truly larger than what many people may be able to appreciate. The music lulls me in to a sense of contentment and hallucination. The more I play this, the more I find to enjoy." - Action Attack Helicopter

"Low Level Owl: Volume I from The Appleseed Cast is one of the most beautiful things I've heard all year. It's really headphone music at its finest - swelling dynamics, perfectly placed electronics and thick melodies. Imagine a fireworks display shot in slow motion and translated into sound. If you've never heard this band, now is the time as they are really doing some amazing things." - Shredding Paper

"Low Level Owl: Volume I from The Appleseed Cast is a beautiful album. From the opening three chords, shimmering drops in a wash of droney feedback, I was stunned. The album captures something like emotional honesty, but it laughs at desperation. Songs like Mile Marker insert a jaunty, celebratory tone into an otherwise rather dour picture; at the same time, I never had the feeling that Crisci, Pillar, Young and Baruth had lost sight of the difficulty of what they were trying to do. I bet you could play this album to almost anyone and they'd hear and appreciate its intensity." - Pop Matters

"The Appleseed Cast's latest, Low Level Owl Volume I can best be summarized as a melancholy sequence of stunning orchestrations and breathtaking crescendos. It's hard to pinpoint a group that can glaze over different musical plains, yet make all of their sounds seem like they fit together. Instead of calculating their sounds, the group does a phenomenal job throwing the rule book out the window. The band is patient with their introductory sequences on most tracks only to fully unleash during their later portions. On Reflection does a fantastic job throwing listeners for a loop, making them assume the entire track will keep its gentle tone, shocking them when it blossoms with a fast paced dynamic. Others tracks like Steps and Numbers and Signal also possess an intriguing mystique to fit the mood of the disc. The album's finale, View of a Burning City, leaves listeners in a dreamlike state, urgently desiring the release of Low Level Owl Volume II." - Phantom Tollbooth

"Mare Vitalis was a brilliant affair of layered sounds, studio experimentation, long and complex songs and still a good bit of rock. Now with Low Level Owl: Volume I, The Appleseed Cast is taking their sound even further with a record that flows from one song into the next and experiments with new sounds...backward drums and guitar, layers upon layers of backup vocals and guitars, loops and samples. Their willingness to go beyond typical rock sensibilities is what makes their music so impressive. The songs are quiet and subtle at one moment and explode at the next with crashes of sound and crescendos of cryptic and poetic lyrics. Some songs are fully fleshed-out pieces with vocals and brilliant melodies and others that are more experimental, flowing interludes. It's virtually impossible to describe these songs as independent pieces, yet that's been true on each of this band's albums. The songs are meant to flow together. Volume I ends with View of a Burning City which also starts Volume II. This is an eight-minute ambient affair, filled with hushed samples and effects, droning guitars and ambient keys for a very soothing and yet somewhat sinister finale...a nice transition into Volume II. The Appleseed Cast has created another brilliant example of thematic storytelling through great cascading music." - Delusions of Adequacy

"Low Level Owl: Volume I is fourteen tracks of pure greatness from The Appleseed Cast. Some songs have singing, some don't, but all are just as good. On top of that, Ed Rose's production makes this record amazing." - Status

"There are some records that after you put on, you are amazed at the music and all that goes into it. Low Level Owl Volume I from The Appleseed Cast is one of those records. This was my first time listening to The Appleseed Cast and it was a great experience. After hearing this I can tell right away that these cats know exactly what they are doing - textured rock songs that blend into each other. Buy this record when you see it because it really blows away half of the other stuff out there." - Abhor

"The Appleseed Cast heads deep into the realm of hazy, beautifully produced shoe gazing soundscapes, as the songs on Low Level Owl: Volume I are stitched together seamlessly and display a healthy appetite for both musical and technical experimentation. Drums are looped and played backwards, guitars dissolve into the thralls of shimmering sound and vocals are washed in a waterfall of echoes. The Appleseed Cast have shown a remarkable attention to detail in crafting a record that is both powerful and innovative. This is my pick of the issue." - Law Of Inertia

Read reviews for Volume II here.

The Waking of Pertelotte (instrumental) On Reflection he steps away from his car with a song. he was wrong. he should have known all along. with wary eyes and uncertain grin. fall out. i saved your voice. trouble. that outstretched hand you had to shake. you sell out. you could have had your choice. but broke away the turnstile. fall out. your friends are toys. in time. that outstretched hands you had to shake. will sell you out. and leave your wreck Blind Man's Arrow in this lifetime. you can mix knives and paper doves. on the roof top if it craves it's hollowed out. i fell down this daylight. blind man's arrow buried in my loves heart. tape was wound. life ties back drop figures and puppets in scissor hands. on the outside all of these words are falling down. porcelain light a moonless night. in closing. always closing. fortunate day. simple to say. in closing. always closing. the curtain is drawn. the lights go on. in closing. always closing Flowers Falling From Dying Hands (instrumental) Messenger (instrumental) Doors Lead To Questions (instrumental) Steps And Numbers are you wishing on a star. did you know your dreams are sold. to people who dream only of gold. they'll find a way to pull stars down. stand there. dance with a memory. the caption reads it's all over now. do you feel alone in the secret. are you standing there just weeping. do you feel the light is gone. is it hard to remain strong. in the face of all you know. in a world that's brought you low Sentence the words i wrote down. just seem empty there. but found the page Bird Of Paradise (instrumental) Mile Marker slow down a lighted road. a broken sign states the mile. a broken code. a simple rhyme. a smile. a fallen line. a simple song set the time. an empty stage. a view beyond the skyline. all comes falling down. on the floor the heart. the tangled weed. the open door. the sign. an open life is an onion skin. in time the never scene in party blue. i'm dying. these are the colors and shades of a heart that is broken Convict jacob stands on snakes. and finds his life in shame. they will make their plea. trust in the disease. one last drop of pain. the fighting's all in vain. one last antidote. forgotten ties on severed ropes. hanging them from poles. someone saw the light. and brought his bow string tight. and aimed it at the heart. of my beloved A Tree For Trials this life goes lullaby out of here. smile shows filtered sounds of fear. back into it goes through the trial you can't hear Signal someday the sun will fall down. and the waters will rise. and the walls will fall down. the hands that built them will at the cost of making love. we shine the times and hide the trough. we'll find a way to make it run. we'll light a flame that says we are. everyone you want doesn't want you back. at the cost of making love. we shine the times and hide the trough. we'll find a way to make it run. we'll light a flame that says we are View Of A Burning City (instrumental)