There comes a time in every band's career when they must make a decision about how they will proceed -- will they choose the wide and easy path, attach themselves to the latest trend, or bravely clamber up the rocky, narrow trail, allowing the substance of what they feel the need to express to dictate the style with which they express it? Castanets are one of the rare bands that disregards the mainstream completely, instead creating eclectic music that defies buzzword-level classification. They incorporate hints of free jazz, low-key indie rock, folksy country and a lot of jam-influenced experimentation within their mellow, moody songs.

"Into The Night", the best example of their amalgamation of styles, is a hollow, haunting tale with notably fragile vocals. "Let's go outside, dear / in the murderous night / let's go out walking," lead Castanet Raymond Raposa sings; his moody delivery and dark outlook are an appropriate introduction to his music. Listeners familiar with the band's debut, Cathedral, know of Raposa's fondness for sparse, almost-spoken lyrics and spiritual, questioning subject matter.

"A Song Is Not the Song of the World" is First Light's Freeze's most accessible track; its downtempo beats are as close to "poppy" as Raposa gets. None of the album is as countrified as Cathedral was, but the band members remain true to their roots, sneaking in a banjo or two (most notably on "Good Friend Yr. Hunger") whenever possible. "First Light's Freeze" and "Bells Aloud" create bleak sonic landscapes, peopled by simple strumming and Raposa's trademark vocals. In fact, much of First leans heavily on acoustic tones -- especially the brief, "filler" instrumentals that help to set apart each of Castanets' longer compositions. Still, don't assume that they're slaves to tradition: First has its share of synthesized frills. For further variety, consider the bass- and distortion-heavy "No Voice Was Raised", a novel, welcome anomaly in the midst of First Light's Freeze's running order.

By choosing a difficult musical path, and thereby rejecting easy genre classification, Castanets have ensured that their output will bear the stamp of an interesting and unique collective personality. Any young band can pick and mix their genre conventions, but few do so with Castanets' level of accomplishment and originality.