Cave In Jupiter LP Hydrahead Isis Radiohead Space Rock

$

50

 Cave In's "Jupiter" LP. Condition: Jacket is excellent. Vinyl is excellent.

Listening to _Jupiter_, one might find it hard to believe Cave-In was once a pulverizing, technical hardcore outfit. Or...maybe not. After all, _Until Your Heart Stops_, for all its gut-shocking brutality, still showed a band with an ear for experimentation. Sluiced in those crashing riffs and blistering speed were Floydian guitarscapes and some Rush-like rhythmic interaction.

Jupiter brings Cave-In to a new place. Perhaps if one had to pigeonhole it, Jupiter would get lumped in with alternative rock. These guys aren't really playing metal anymore. While heavy at times -- the monstrous drumming and eponymous wall-of-guitar crush in "Big Riff" -- it can also possess a weightless cosmic atmosphere, full of shade and subtlety. "Innuendo and Out the Other" is all watery guitar chords and skillful production overlays; the instrumental "Decay of the Delay" is crying feedback and melting pulses. The differences between loud and soft are emphasized by a stunning production that lets every quiet detail shine through and weighs you down with the density of their heavy side. The vocals mostly abandon that shockingly powerful rasping scream for a smoother articulation sounding like a more organic Thom Yorke. The songwriting is all very strong and clever: the title track embraces a brilliant hook ("Jupiter, you're seemingly so right for me") with a quirky Middle Eastern guitar figure that is sheer genius: "Brain Candle" is sparkling-but-heavy guitar power pop; "Big Riff" navigates its progressive structure with subtle hooks and intelligent arrangements to a flattening climax; "New Moon" is a plaintive, thoughtful conclusion.

I hate to single anyone out and risk trivializing the work of the rest of the band, but I have to say the most amazing part of this album is Stephen Brodsky. His sonorous tone and perfect control inspire, his soft but powerful falsetto approaches beauty, and when his urgent cry occasionally rises to a desperate scream ("Big Riff"!!!), I cannot fight off the chills. Of course, the rest of the band is obscenely talented -- after all, they once demonstrated chops up there with that wild Dillinger Escape Plan. Here, though, the band is less overt and confirms their ability in a different mold.

For something different, Jupiter is a good disc: heavy, vast, tuneful, and original.

Shipping will be calculated at the end of auction. The options are up to you. Check out the shipping rates of u.s.p.s. for info. Weight info should be easy to find.