ARTIST : Circle
TITLE : Hollywood
LABEL : Ektro Records
GENRE : Psychedelic Rock
BITRATE : LAME v3.97 VBR V2
SOURCE : CD
SIZE : 94,6 MB
STORE DATE : 2008-10-15
Track List
----------
01. Connection [3:43]
02. Mercy And Tuesday [7:52]
03. Earthworm [5:12]
04. Sacrifice [4:02]
Requiem In D Minor:
05. Spam Folder [8:10]
06. Hard To Realize [4:19]
07. Madman [15:17]
08. Suddenly [11:31]
Circle: No beginning and no end, and when you think youÆve come upon the
conclusion youÆre back at the start. Perhaps this describes CircleÆs
compositional work ethic more than anything. Circle is a west coast rock band,
the west coast of Finland, that is. They live in a city called Pori, further
north than the capital, Helsinki, and Stockholm, Sweden to the east. With a
large student population, and its own jazz festival, Pori also is home to
FinlandÆs most visible underground rock band, Circle.
Their latest in a long line of innovative recordings, Hollywood, lists them as
a "new exciting band from Finland." To most people, this is true enough, but to
those paying attention, Circle has been making some of the most original modern
rock music since the beginning of the æ90s. Formed by
bassist/guitarist/vocalist/creative wildman Jussi Lehtisalo, the group has been
on an endless journey of musical exploration since they began. Besides being
consummate players, the band are avid music collectors and enthusiasts; hence,
Circle music and records have many stylistic touchstones, most notably
Krautrock, artrock, avant garde, prog, and cinematic post rock. Just when you
think youÆre getting a handle on them, though, you see they also have a deep
love of heavy metal, particularly from the 1980s, all manner of punk rock, as
well as Velvet-style droning and even country and folk music. (Their love of
metal forged their now infamous tagline-NWOFHM. Get it?) Some have called them
FinlandÆs mighty masters of metallic hypno drone rock. Whew!
In the USA, San Francisco-based record retailer Aquarius was one of the first
to champion the band. They have noted: ôWe'd always wondered why they weren't
the latest post-rock big thing...well maybe it's 'cause they're so dang weird!
Which, of course, we like. Bands that sing in their own made-up languages (a la
Magma) and do other unashamedly "prog rock" and sometime metal things too are
definitely cool with us. But does that get them signed to Thrill Jockey or
Matador? No. Not yet anyway.ö
Well, yeah, not yet, but fortunately for us there is the bandÆs own label,
Ektro, run by Circle ringmaster Lehtisalo. ItÆs through Ektro (distributed by
Southern in the US) that Hollywood will be released early in 2009. This hour
-long album takes Circle fans on a different trip yet again. Back up a few
years when Lehtisalo tracked down L.A. musician/producer Bruce Duff via the
internet. Duff was the frontman of æalternative metalÆ band Jesters of Destiny,
who in the mid-to-late æ80s were signed to Metal Blade Records. Lehtisalo
arranged through Duff to release an expanded version of Jesters of DestinyÆs
album Fun at the Funeral on Ektro. An email friendship followed, and soon
enough Circle and Duff were exchanging DVD files across thousands of miles of
oceans and began collaborating on recordings.
The first music to arise from this joint venture was an EP on Philly-based
label No Quarter, entitled Earthworm. As reviewed in Collective Zine, ôWhoa.
Shooting out the traps in totally manic mode, bass and drums locked down in
their inexorable search for the ultimate groove whilst a raft of guitars and
keyboards jazz away over the top. Actually, even they're in some way locked in
to the relentless forward momentum Circle's rocket-powered Can worship summons
up, and that's all before the vocals kick in. Simple and clear, endlessly
melodious over the pleasing cacophony wailing away beneath. And that's just for
openers.ö
Off to a good start, the Trans-Atlantic team carried on with the goal of
finishing a full-long player, and thatÆs Hollywood. Named for DuffÆs hometown,
will this L.A. meets Pori pairing play in Peoria? For starters, the band that
has been known for lyrics created in their own made-up language (known as
Meronian) ala Magma or Sigor Ros. Wiseass Duff chose to reduce everything to
its lowest common denominator, otherwise known as English. The weighty, lengthy
songs cover terrain from the Roundhouse to the Appalachians, and the eight
songs also include a three-movement Requiem in all of its unashamed, unabashed
prog rock glory and pretense.
As has always been the case, Circle has presented itself yet again as being
unwilling or unable to sit still or to be predictable, but their desire to
present the best work possible is always a part of their program. As if in a
screening room, dim the lights, hit the projector, and take in Hollywood.
http://www.circlefinland.com
http://www.myspace.com/circlefinland