Tom Weaver has been to hell and back, and wants to tell you about it. The frontman for Wales-based rock outfit Casey sang of adoration and bereavement on their debut, Love Is Not Enough, but shifts the lyrical lens of his band's sophomore effort Where I Go When I Am Sleeping toward hindrances surrounding the mental and physical miseries that have plagued him. From manic depression to a car accident that left half of Weaver's face paralyzed, Casey's music is certainly not impersonal.
The group have many strong suits in their hand, like tension-building tempos and emotive vocal delivery, but Casey are at their best here when pursuing brooding, atmospheric post-punk. "Needlework," "Making Weight" and "Morphine" all amply articulate Weaver's emotional baggage through melodies that are bathed in reverb without feeling overbearing.
The deepest hindrance of Casey's Where I Go When I Am Sleeping is their indecisiveness. The band's harshest moments ("Wound," "Wavering") revisit what fellow UK melodic hardcore champs Dead Swans brought to the table almost a decade ago, but when it comes time for things to mellow out in "Flowers By the Bed," Casey often over-share lyrically and are sonically overwhelming. Where I Go When I Am Sleeping is unsure whether it wants to be a Basement or Defeater record, and every so often it staggers when attempting to blend the two.
(Rise Records)The group have many strong suits in their hand, like tension-building tempos and emotive vocal delivery, but Casey are at their best here when pursuing brooding, atmospheric post-punk. "Needlework," "Making Weight" and "Morphine" all amply articulate Weaver's emotional baggage through melodies that are bathed in reverb without feeling overbearing.
The deepest hindrance of Casey's Where I Go When I Am Sleeping is their indecisiveness. The band's harshest moments ("Wound," "Wavering") revisit what fellow UK melodic hardcore champs Dead Swans brought to the table almost a decade ago, but when it comes time for things to mellow out in "Flowers By the Bed," Casey often over-share lyrically and are sonically overwhelming. Where I Go When I Am Sleeping is unsure whether it wants to be a Basement or Defeater record, and every so often it staggers when attempting to blend the two.
