The BEIGE by A Cast of Thousands

The BEIGE album seamlessly flows from genre to genre of pop music from the last 50 years. It is a tongue-n-cheek play on one of the great pastiche albums of all time (check the album cover). From moment to moment you might hear straight forward rock-n-roll, then you hear introspective folk, then lo-fi electro duets, then epic monochord psychedelic calamities. A Cast of Thousands is incessantly trying to expand and build on past pop traditions in new ways. Revel is these multifaceted gems.

Review of The BEIGE by Jack Rabid from The Big Takeover (November 2018):

"Auburn, NY's ACoT are in for the long haul. Just a year after their accurately titled The Fifth, the sixth is a slightly gentler matter, with songs fabricated on little but acoustic guitar and keyboards and no beat–or acoustic or muted electric, on contrasting forceful drums–and the strong voices of singer/songwriter Beth Beer and guitarists/vocalists Terry Quill and Terry Cuddy (in fact the harmonies are nicely refined.) As before, there's an abiding air of discordant disruption, disquiet, disrepair and discontent, as lyrical snippets hit and stick such as "Guess there's something off in the universe,"Around these parts people hoping for some luck," and "It's my magical thinking/That sometimes stops me from drinking/But usually not." There's nothing opaque, milquetoast, or particularly "Beige" in this ultimately savory music, full of brighter music, but with foreboding words of worry."


Review of The BEIGE by Paul Silver from Jersey Beat Fanzine (December 2018):

"Upstate New York’s indie-psych-folk band A Cast of Thousands returns with a new full-length LP. Like past efforts, “The Beige” contains some gorgeous, laid-back songs that have both a 60s hippy vibe and a modern indie sensibility. I adore Beth Beer’s vocals; they’re just perfect for this style of music. And while there’s still plenty of psych here, there’s more emphasis on the indie this time around. Like on “Gaslight,” which opens the album. It’s a waltz time song that’s more firmly in the modern indie era than anything else A Cast of Thousands has presented before. But just like their entire catalog, the song is delicate and pretty. “Outlier” brings things back to more “traditional” territory for the band, with the psych-folk vibe. It’s another waltz-time track, still delicate, still beautiful. I really like the minimalist guitar line during the verses, just a single plucked string, loaded with vibrato, repeating the same simple line over and over.” Adventurer” is back on the indie-side with a strong power pop influence that I like. Some of the tracks focus on a more acoustic folk sound, like “Magical Thinking” and “Around These Parts.” These just add to the relaxed, laid-back feel of the album. I like how the penultimate song, “Regret,” builds in intensity throughout the track and then ends abruptly, unfinished, like many things in life we all regret. After a short pause, the album closes with “Savior,” the prefect song to sum up A Cast of Thousand’s style – part folk, part psych, and part indie, with Beer’s smooth, even keeled vocals. This is the perfect album for listening indoors on a cold winter weekend day – it provides a nice warmth. –Paul Silver, Jersey Beat Fanzine

A quartet from "History's Hometown", Auburn, New York. Their songs have been described as “barnstormers”, “simple stabs at precious pop”, with a “rough and ready sonic immediacy.” Since 2010, they’ve recorded seven albums.