Album Review: Cassia – Replica
Album Review: Cassia – Replica
Words by Gary Lambert
I’ve got an idea. A strange idea, but an idea nevertheless. Copies of Replica should be given away with the purchase of a Fitbit. Why? Because it makes you go for a walk. Or at least it has done for me. After a first listen to this album, I felt so summery that I needed to go to the beach and walk up and down filling up on the sunshine vibes that Cassia are able to create on record. The sand and tangerine-coloured setting sun looked like they had been crafted as a picture frame for this aural painting.
What makes this album so good? Well the first thing that hit me when listening to the album was the size of the sound. The happiness that emanates from the very first note should have been created by a massive ensemble rather than a three piece. And definitely not from the northern England market town of Macclesfield. With such musical hints of the Caribbean and preppy North America via Vampire Weekend, you would be quite likely to assume that the band came from more exotic shores.
We have already spoke on Popped Music about the delights of the title track Replica, so picking out a few other stand out tracks needs to be done. Opening up the long player is Small Spaces and it immediately puts the listener in a happy state of tranquility with some sweet guitar playing. It’s not that the track does anything wild to grab you, instead the music acts as a swaying hammock that makes you feel childishly joyful.
Hats off to whoever mixed this album too for the work they have put in on Movers and Shapers. You must listen to this track through earphones to catch the way the bongo drums roll from ear to ear. It is so good natured and is just the kind of touch which makes you think that this record was as lovely to make as it is to play.
For me, Get Up Tight is the song which echoes the delights of Vampire Weekend’s much loved debut album. It is carefree, ambitious, and shows the risks that the trio take with their music as the rhythms are beautifully inconsistent. This is not an easy skill to add into a song because there is the strong possibility of falling flat on your face, but Cassia absolutely smash it.
In fact, you could say that for the whole album, Cassia absolutely smash it.
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