“This is more than a trip. It’s an adventure.” That may be used in some cheesy travel ad, but in the case of Things Past from George & Caplin, it’s actually true to the bone. We’re not talking skiing the Alps naked or visiting the indigenous cannibal tribes of Fiji. The adventure is in the mind and ears, in the vastness of outer space or lying in a French vineyard as the sun slowly rises to a new day.
Each element of Things Past is use sparingly and with extreme detail and thought, from wind chimed raindrops, a rattling box of marbles, the crackling of an old 45, to aching cello and piano. Vocals appear in an out, tapping into the living ghost of Jasbinder of Babylon Zoo, who is both endearingly human and robotic. This is where G&C have continued to evolve from their first explorations: making Pinocchio into a real, flesh and blood boy, where digital and analog meet organic.
It’s no surprise that George & Caplin, Denver’s resident experimental electronic duo, have another home at the same label as the Legendary Pink Dots, Beta-lactam Ring Records. Things Past debuts to Denver fans at their CD release party this Friday, February 3, at Hi-Dive. While it is no small step for the group, it is one large leap away from mankind’s penchant for more of the same.
