No matter how hard I try, I’ve never been a fan of classical music. As both a musician and reviewer, I sulk at the fact that the compositions of Beethoven and arrangements of Vivaldi have never reached me on a personal level, despite their groundbreaking achievements in music history. Maybe it’s the lack of vocals, the absence of hi-hat and snare, or just having to sit down at every orchestral concert. Yet with But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker, The Silent League gives us less-worldly fans hope of discovering the ancestors of our now simplified passion.

The Silent League is a conglomerate of musicians headed by New York native Justin Russo and producer Shannon Fields. Their third album aims to continue the orchestral trend of the first, all while promoting Russo’s knack of combining witty lyricism with a strong falsetto.

Strings and percussion behind indie-rock is a trend worth noting. Take Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up”, perforating ear lobes around the country (Where the Wild Things Are, every Super Bowl commercial). What Justin Russo does to separate The Silent League from the rest of the epics lies in instrumentation. Whether a horn ruminates over faint melodies or winds dominate the orchestration, almost every sound feels necessary within the main construct of the album.

“When Stars Attack” and “There is a Caretaker in the Woods” are clear standouts among the 15 tracks. Both build all the way through their four plus minutes, proving just how important multi-track recording truly is. The sheer recording process alone is daunting, as so many instruments and players must have collaborated throughout the endeavor to create such a full spectrum.

Russo provides sudden comic relief in between epics. Their rendition of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Yours Truly, 2095″ is robot love at its finest, complete with sensual vocoder and synth overload. Even with the variety, the one aspect that disappoints is the prevalence of unnecessary ambiance. With “Egg-Shaped” and “Sleeper”, Russo contradicts himself in creating transition tracks. He is quoted on The Silent League website: “There is enough noise in the world… we make music when we think we have something to say that isn’t already being said.” Although The Silent League has succeeded in making original music, I can’t wrap my brain around why they would extend the album to such surprising lengths. The most renowned orations in history are concise and to the point; take Lou Gehrig’s farewell to baseball, or MLK’s “I have a dream” speech. There’s simply no need for the added tracks, other than to beef up the overall time of play.

The Silent League much embodies Aristotle’s tabula rosa, the idea that we must chisel away at our block through trial and error to find our true selves. Cliche aside, But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker is Russo and Field’s closest attempt yet at honing in on their wanted sound, albeit with some jagged edges along the way.