The Receiver is multi-instrumentalist Casey Cooper and his equally talented brother, drummer Jesse. Decades itself is a glimmering album, its many charms gauged to engage both musical masters and the masses alike. A number of the musical themes and progressions are returned to across the set, but each time in a different mode, some subtly changed, others more radically altered in tempo, arrangement and key. The trained musician will inevitably find these variations scintillating and inspired, but in the grander scheme, especially with the careful sequencing, it creates a sublime whole comprised of musical currents that continually ebb and flow. It also enhances the wonderfully organic feel of the album, and a sense of drifting languorously on a sea of sound, further enhanced by Cooper's almost breathy vocals, sweet and understated, but laden with emotion. Unlike most albums, Decades is best experienced as a whole rather than in its constituent parts. Heard in pieces, the set loses its magnificent flow, the subtle shifts in atmospheres, the overarching crescendos of the album's dynamics, and the internal cohesion of the musical themes. Still, some of the more willful and aggressive numbers like "Afternoon," "In Tunnels," and "Goliath" stand firmly on their own, as does the lovely, harmonic "Sober Hands." All told, Decades is a gorgeous album, filled with a richness of sound and moods, with a glowing ambience that must be heard to be believed.
-All Music Guide
"Decades is constantly impressive and epic, carrying influences like Air, Sigur Rós, and reminders of the previously mentioned classic rock outfits. Truly, this disc is a transcendent piece of music....This is an album made by musicians who not only know that they’re breaking new ground, they level it with each step..."
-transformonline.com
"Well produced and well executed, this exceptional debut will be a hit with fans of Sigur Ros, Air, Radiohead and likeminded contemporaries..."
-thetripwire.com
"Decades features intricate keyboard arrangements, coupled with lush and fluid vocals. Songs like “Afternoon†and “One In†are soft and comfortable, with gentle crescendos and emotional undertones."
-Amplifier Magazine
"So why should you care? For several reasons. First, Casey is a fine composer. And "composer" really is the operative word here. Decades is an album that needs to be heard as a whole, if only to hear the way Casey weaves his motifs in and out through the various songs. He's adept at the kind of symphonic post-rock synthesis that bands such as Godspeed You, Black Emperor and Sigur Ros work to perfection."
-Andy Whitman, writer for Paste Magazine
"The pounding “In Tunnels†recalls at once Simian’s “Never Be Alone†and the crystalline crescendos Death Cab For Cutie have perfected, though Casey Cooper’s alternating falsetto sometimes glides in impenetrable Floydian prog-clouds."
-Illinois Entertainer
"Nearly every song on the record is almost perfectly written and maintains a great balance between amazing musicianship and strong song writing."
-The Daily Cardinal (Madison, WI)
