AMG Review of Tracking Sounds Alone

Vincent Jeffries
All Music Guide

Sounding something like a punk version of Failure, Castor's Tracking Sounds Alone is a rare commodity, a truly alternative recording that is at once expansive, tuneful, and most importantly, original. Castor shares a certain sonic quality with their Champaign-Urbana neighbors like Hum, Honcho Overload, and others, but singer/guitarist Jeff Garber's well-defined writing and performance skills give Castor an identifiable hook that many indie rockers of the time were missing. A posthumous release, Tracking Sounds Alone hit record-store shelves well after the band's 1998 breakup. This might suggest that the material was simply foraged tracks that couldn't make the grade for the band's debut, but nothing could be further from the truth. The songs are powerful, with rockers like "Trackstar" and "Carnival" standing out as highlights. A nice balance of song-driven and noisy indie rock, Tracking Sounds Alone is a must for Castor fans and anyone fascinated by obscure '90s alternative gems.