Sagarmatha (album)

Sagarmatha
Studio album by The Appleseed Cast
Released	February 17, 2009
Genre	Indie rock, post-rock
Length	49:43 53:09 (Vinyl)
Label	Vagrant Records and The Militia Group
The Appleseed Cast chronology
Peregrine (2006) Sagarmatha (2009) Illumination Ritual (2013)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
ReviewRinseRepeat	[2]
Sputnikmusic	[3]
Strangeglue	[4]

Sagarmatha is the seventh full-length album by Lawrence, Kansas-based indie rock group the Appleseed Cast, released on February 17, 2009 by The Militia Group and Vagrant Records. The album was also released on double LP by Graveface Records; the vinyl version has an alternate track listing and one additional track. The album's title is derived from the Tibetan word for Mount Everest, which guitarist Aaron Pillar learned while reading Jon Krakauer's 1997 book Into Thin Air. ^[5]

Writing and recording

The album began life as an instrumental EP, which was then stretched out as the band returned to techniques they had previously utilized when writing Low Level Owl: Volume I and Low Level Owl: Volume II. ^[5] According to Pillar, Sagarmatha was conceived as a concept album that revolved around "zombies and an apocalyptic future." ^[6] Half the album was recorded at the band's home studio the Toy Shop, and the entire process lasted approximately nine months. ^[7]

Track listing

CD

1. "As the Little Things Go" - 8:15
2. "A Bright Light" - 7:05
3. "The Road West" - 8:08
4. "The Summer Before" - 3:09
5. "One Reminder, An Empty Room" - 1:49
6. "Raise the Sails" - 6:27
7. "Like a Locust (Shake Hands With the Dead)" - 4:02
8. "South Col" - 6:27
9. "An Army of Fireflies" - 4:28

Vinyl

• A1 "As the Little Things Go" - 8:15
• A2 "A Bright Light" - 7:05
• B1 "The Road West" - 8:08
• B2 "The Summer Before" - 3:09
• B3 "One Reminder, An Empty Room" - 1:49
• C1 "Raise the Sails" - 6:27
• C2 "South Col" - 6:27
• D1 "Like a Locust (Shake Hands With the Dead)" - 4:02
• D2 "An Army of Fireflies" - 4:28
• D3 "The New Stage" - 3:27

References

1. Allmusic review
2. ReviewRinseRepeat review Archived 2009-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
3. Sputnikmusic review
4. Strangeglue review
5. Stubblefield, Kristin (2009). "Interview: The Appleseed Cast". Alter the Press. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
6. "Q&A: Aaron Pillar of Appleseed Cast". Indiana Daily Student . 2009. Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
7. Steinhoff, Jessica (February 20, 2009). "The Appleseed Cast Moves Past the Fad". Isthmus . Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023. First off, it took longer to make than any other record we've worked on - about nine months or so. About half of the music was recorded at our home studio, the Toy Shop, something we always wanted to do but hadn't yet.