Search - Castanets :: City of Refuge

A test of patience for even the most devout Castanets fan

Lee L. | Washington DC | 02/08/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Even though albums two and three can't really compare to debut Cathedral in my opinion, I still thought so highly of Castanets that I didn't even bother reading any reviews for City of Refuge. I just picked it up the week it came out and really looked forward to that first listen. The cover art especially got me excited because most times when I get a hunch that an album with a great cover means great music, I tend to be right. This was sadly not one of those times.



There are 15 tracks on this just shy of 40 minutes long album, but only five resemble what fans would describe as Castanets songs. Those actual songs are quite good (although one is a reworked version of one of the other songs, so maybe it's more accurate to say you're getting 4 1/2 songs). They continue in the more darker vein of the previous album In the Vines. The rest of the album though are bits and pieces of experimentation that don't warrant a second listen. Unfortunately, the rest of this album is just noodling on synths or acoustic guitar. There's no structure and no point. I listen to a lot of instrumental, experimental, drone music and while some people will never appreciate that genre, fans know what's good and what's not. As I say in the review's title, this record will test the patience of the band's biggest fans. The only reason I gave these songs a second listen was so I could write this review after seeing a single 5-star review written by someone who clearly doesn't understand how this site and the review sections are supposed to work.



I think most true music fans don't want to hear the same thing over and over again and when bands evolve and branch out, this is a good thing; worthy of respect. City of Refuge however is a total anomaly. There's probably only two songs off this record that will ever be played live, the rest are throwaways unfortunately. Bandleader Ray Raposa should have put this record out under a different moniker rather than damaging the Castanets brand. If someone picked this record up randomly having never heard what came before it, there's next to no chance they'd ever want to buy another Castanets album, and I can't blame them.



I'll give this record 3 stars instead of 5 based on the strength of the prior records, and because 2009's Texas Rose, the Thaw, & the Beasts got Castanets back on the right track. The issues Raposa went through in his personal life around the time of City's recording is unfortunate, but shouldn't have resulted in such an unfocused and aimless record being attributed to what was to that point a very strong string of releases. This should be the last Castanets album you pick up and only if you're determined to have every release. Otherwise, it's probably best just to buy the MP3s of Refuge 1 and Shadow Valley."