City of Caterpillar (album)

City of Caterpillar is the sole studio album by American band City of Caterpillar, which was released on May 1, 2002 on LP and CD formats through Level Plane Records. Since its release, critics have praised its sound, which combines elements of screamo with post-rock, and it is now seen as an essential recording of early 2000s screamo. The album would eventually become out-of-print for years, however Repeater Records reissued a remastered version of the album on LP format on May 27, 2016.[3]

City of Caterpillar
Studio album by
City of Caterpillar
ReleasedMay 1, 2002
Recorded2001-2002
GenreScreamo, post-hardcore, post-rock
Length44:06
LabelLevel Plane (LP-36)
City of Caterpillar chronology
City of Caterpillar
(2002)		 Demo and Live Recording
(2002)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Punknews.org[2]

Background and recording

The band recorded the album in Maryland between the years 2001 and 2002, hiring Mark Smoot to record and master it. According to guitarist/vocalist Brandon Evans, the band frequently listened to The Cure's album Pornography during the recording sessions, and most of the mixing decisions were influenced by the album.[4] Of the recording sessions, only one track was left off the final album, titled "As the Curtains Dim (Little White Lie)". The track would later be released as a digital single in 2016,[4] as well as being released as the b-side to the group's 2017 "Driving Spain Up a Wall" 12" single.[5]

Critical reception and legacy

City of Caterpillar is now seen by critics as one of the best screamo albums from the early 2000s. Named as one of Treble Zine's ten essential screamo albums in 2014, A.T. Bossenger called it "consistently unpredictable" and "an irresistibly thrilling ride".[6] In Blake Butler's review of the album for the Allmusic Guide, he rewarded the album a near-perfect four and a half stars out of a possible five, stating that the group's "moody, sometimes spastic, sometimes brooding breed of dark rock is both well-written and timeless", concluding his write up by stating "albums of this breed only come along a few times in a genre."[1] Punknews.org staff member Jordon Rogowski similarly rated the album four and a half stars out of five, calling it "one of the most promising releases [he has] heard in years."[2] In an article for Vice about both the album and the band, Jason Heller states that City of Caterpillar is "something we'll never stop being in awe of."[7]

The album is now seen to of help influence the post-rock-meets-screamo style[8][9] that is sometimes called "post-screamo".[7] The album has helped influence artists such as Envy and Circle Takes the Square.[10]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."And You're Wondering How a Top Floor Could Replace Heaven"8:33
2."A Heart Filled Reaction to Dissatisfaction"2:33
3."Minute-Hour-Day-Week-Month-Year- (The Faiths In My Chest)"9:17
4."Fucking Hero"3:52
5."When Was the Last Time We Painted Over the Blood On the Walls?"4:37
6."A Little Change Could Go a Long Ways"9:39
7."Maybe They'll Gnaw Right Through"5:37

Personnel
  • Jeff Kane - guitar
  • Brandon Evans - guitar, vocals
  • Kevin Longendyke - bass, vocals
  • Ryan Parrish - drums
  • Mark Smoot - recording, mastering
  • Jack Shirley - remastering (2016 Repeater Records edition)

References
  1. Butler, Blake. "City of Caterpillar - City of Caterpillar". Allmusic. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  2. Rogowski (2005-01-07), Jordon. "City of Caterpillar - City of Caterpillar". Punknews.org. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  3. Kaminski, Karol. "City of Caterpillar's Self-Titled LP Gets New Re-Release". Idioteq. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  4. Gotrich (2014-11-16), Lars. "Hear City of Caterpillar's Previously Unreleased Song, 'As the Curtains Dim'". NPR. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  5. "City of Caterpillar to Release New EP 'Driving Spain Up a Wall'". Punktastic. 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  6. Bossenger, A.T.; Barisone, John; Terich, John. "10 Essential Screamo Albums". Treble Zine. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
  7. Heller, Jason (2016-05-20). "Ambient Apocalypse: How City of Caterpillar Encompassed an Era". Vice. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  8. Galil, Leor. "City of Caterpillar, Planes Mistaken for Stars, All Eyes West". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  9. Sacher, Andrew (2016-10-17). "City of Caterpillar Announce Reunion Tour, Repressed Their LP On Vinyl". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  10. "City of Caterpillar Biography". Brighton Musical Hall. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
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