Circle - Andexelt
(Tumult)
A band named Circle has to be based on repetition, repetition, repetition, and
the Finnish 6-piece of that name is just that. Much like early To Rococo Rot,
the band finds a short piece of music that they like, and they play it over and
over again until you finally submit to it. However, unlike that sissy dance band,
Circle is a rock and roll band, at times sounding more like open, ultra-rhythmic
post rock such as June of '44 or Brokeback and at other times sounding a lot more
psychedelic, like Hash Jar Tempo.
Circle's latest album with an American release is entitled Andexelt, and it is
filled with epic, trance-inducing rock songs. The album starts off with the
excellent title track that has loud, pounding tribal drums and a shivering, shimmering
lead psychedelic guitar part. The guitar repeats its riff over and over again,
completing the Circle, as other instruments play off of it, adding counter melodies
or covering it with a field of noise. Eventually the noise dominates the track,
which leads into a distorted, chugging guitar part, which grows in volume as more
noise and effects enter the song. In comparison to the dense, psychedelic guitar
sound of "Andexelt," the next song "Odultept" has lots of open space--so much open
space that there's room for a flute melody! The song is built around a very
Louisville-esque guitar and drum groove, against which flute, keyboards, and other
guitars take turns providing free-sounding melodies.
For the rest of Andexelt, Circle alternates between open and heavy compositions.
"Lisääpui" is a much fuller sound again, sounding very heavy metal. It
uses and simple, chugging, chunky guitar alongside a higher pitched guitar that
creates a piercing, fairy-dust melody. "Humusaar" is a funeral dirge for that
high-pitched guitar melody from the previous song, again using a post-rock rhythm
that creates a lot of open space for the somber, slow paced guitar riffs. The album
ends with something completely different, though, "Friitatan Nakka," which is a very
shapeless space-scape for its first twelve minutes before spontaneously combusting
into an aggressive guitar riff and subtle melodic synthesizer sounds.
Circle's newer album, Prospekt, with a reportedly less open, more psychedelic sound,
is currently available as an import and will be released
in the United States soon with bonus tracks and as a picture disc LP.
Get this one in the meantime.
Circle will mesmerize you. The only question is how quickly and easily
you can break the trance.
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