Every The Casket Lottery Album Ranked Worst to Best

The Casket Lottery is an emo band from the midwest, but they’re not necessarily midwest emo. Come to think of it, they’re not really emo either…no, they’re definitely emo, but not with all the usually expected trappings. Anyway, The Casket lottery put out three full-length albums, then called it quits for a while and did other shit. 10 years later, they put out another full-length album. And then eight years later we got another album. They also did a bunch of rad stuff with Small Brown Bike and Hot Water Music.

That being said, here’s the definitive ranking of all of The Casket Lottery LPs.

5. Choose Bronze (1999)

Knowing now what we didn’t know back in 1999, it’s fair to say that although this album is not without its charm, it’s the weakest in the discography. If you’re familiar with the band’s canon, you’ll recognize Nate’s signature Telecaster shimmer, Stacy’s reliably crunchy and intricate bass work, and the other Nate’s expertly syncopated drums. This album came out when they were like 15 years old, so it evokes that feeling you get when you break curfew and your mom’s boyfriend keeps bumming your cigs. But still, this album has a charming aggression to it that only comes with youth.

Play it again: “Midway”
Skip it: “Softie”

Honorable Mention: Possibilities and Maybes (2003)

“Possibilities and Maybes” is technically not canon, but it’s a memorable album of B-sides that comes with strong recommendation. There’s previously unheard of stuff from their first three albums. There are demos and remixes. They even do a faithful cover of “Synchronicity II” by The Police, which is actually easier to listen to than the original version because you don’t have to think about Sting edging himself into an explosive climax with a feather duster.

Play it again: “The Great One and Lonely,” It’s the missing link between “Moving Mountains” and “Survival is for Cowards.”
Skip it: “Rip Van Winkle (Demo),” the “Choose Bronze” version is better.

4. Real Fear (2012)

For a while it seemed like The Casket Lottery was done, but they surprised us with this banger ten years after the release of the career-defining “Survival is for Cowards.” We’re met with an older, and wiser Casket Lottery after everybody went off to play in Coalesce, Able Baker Fox, and the Appleseed Cast. In other words, there was room for growth and reformation. In 2002, we had The Casket Lottery. In 2012, we had The Casket Lottery, but with synth. It’s like having your existential dread cake, and eating it while listening to The Cure.

Play it again: “In the Branches”
Skip it: “Sarastro”

3. Short Songs for End Times (2020)

“Short Songs for End Times” picks up where “Real Fear” left off, but is an overall more consistent album. Though The Casket Lottery has been known to tread lightly into math-rock territory, this release is their most straight-forward album to date; the drums chop, the bass rips, and the guitars paint a rich tapestry of texture only to drape it over the entire backdrop. The expertly placed peaks and valleys on this album make for a solid front-to-back listen, and Nathan’s powerful vocal presence sounds like he finally found the right combination of antihistamines.

Play it again: “Sisyphus Blues,” and “Unalone”
Skip it: “Trust as a Weapon”

Honorable Mention: Small Brown Bike And The Casket Lottery (2002)

There’s a whole other band out there called Able Baker Fox, and they boast the same lineup that can be found on the “Small Brown Bike And The Casket Lottery” split-EP. This EP, and the two subsequent Able Baker Fox albums that were birthed by it, has members from both bands playing together in what could be described as the ultimate supergroup that nobody’s ever heard of. It’s hard to tell where The Casket Lottery ends and Small Brown Bike begins, but we promise you that you’ll look really sad while walking over the iced over grass as the underneath you breaks like glass, or something. You honestly can’t go wrong with this one.

Play it again: “Wrong Hometown”
Skip it: No skip album

2. Moving Mountains (2000)

“Moving Mountains” is a younger, more experimental Casket Lottery in top form. The entire thing sounds the way it feels when you fall asleep on your arms until they get all tingly, but then you immediately pick up your guitar before you get the feeling back in your hands and try writing a song. That was supposed to be a compliment. Rhythmically, the staggering structure makes “Moving Mountains” sound disjointed in a way that’s intentional, and the whole album has a strange, yet infectious jiggle to it that’s hard to not be interested by.

Play it again: “Dead Dear”
Skip it: “Thousand Oaks (Away From Home)”

1. Survival Is for Cowards (2002)

“Survival Is for Cowards” is The Casket Lottery’s most straightforward pre-hiatus album, and shows you a clear logical progression in sound from the two albums that preceded it. Every song has its own subtle rhythmic complexity to it, but it’s also the most easily accessible iteration of The Casket Lottery, melodically speaking. Every song will vaguely remind you of really cold rain, and your dead uncle when you listen to that one song.

Play it again: “Code Red”
Skip it: No skip album

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