ARTiST : Circus Devils
ALBUM : Ataxia
LABEL : Happy Jack Rock Records
GENRE : Indie
RELEASE : 2008-11-26
STREET : 2008-11-11
ENCODER : LAME v3.97 -V2 --vbr-new
QUALiTY : 195kbps avg / 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo
SiZE : 56.84 MB
PLAYTiME : 00:41:00
+ TRACK LiSTiNG +
-----------------
[#] [Track Name] [Time]
1. Under Review 2:08
2. I-Razors 2:02
3. Freedom's Monster 2:18
4. That's The Spirit 0:42
5. Backwash Television 1:45
6. The Girls Will Make It Happen 2:32
7. Mayflower Brought Disease 2:01
8. Stars, Stripes And Crack Pipes 2:17
9. Ataxia 2:00
10. Nets At Every Angle 3:35
11. Hi I'm Martha, How Are You? 2:20
12. Lunatic Style 2:10
13. Get Me Extra! 2:36
14. I Found The Black Mind 2:02
15. He Had All Day 1:33
16. Fuzz In The Street 6:28
17. Rat Face Ballerina 2:31
41:00
+ RELEASE iNFORMATiON +
-----------------------
Since its formation in 2001, Circus Devils has been the weirder outlet for
Robert Pollard's musical endeavours. Yes, I realize I'm talking about a man
whose "straightforward" songs go by names like "Tractor Rape Chain" and
"Squirmish Frontal Room," but if Guided By Voices was strange, Circus Devils
is Danny DeVito in a g-string. Uh, yeah.
What often goes unmentioned - particularly in promotional materials - is
that Pollard's involvement in Circus Devils is limited to the lyrics. While
he pens the words and sings them, longstanding GBV producer Todd Tobias and
his brother Tim are responsible for everything else. The result on Ataxia is
a uniquely written record that relies on dynamic and structural eclecticism
more than it does on melody.
The overall tone of Ataxia is almost Gothic in its dark mystique. Songs seem
to bubble up amidst a cauldron of haunting, atmospheric sounds. "Get Me Extra!,"
for example, emerges out of an uneasy haze of feedback, while opener "Under
Review" has to battle a morose drone in order to attain footing. This makes
for an intriguing album that is more than a set of songs, but instead a continuing
story; this, in turn, frames the record's better songs nicely. Zippy rocker
"The Girls Will Make It Happen" succeeds by way of a strange sense of melody,
while small acoustic number "He Had All Day" allows a pensive moment of pause.
"Stars, Stripes and Crack Pipes," on the other hand, is a blazing rocker that recalls
GBV's later work. Other songs seem more about atmosphere than melody; "Hi I'm Martha,
How Are You?" is a sinister mood piece, and "I Found the Black Mind" is strangely
monastic.
It is difficult to describe Ataxia in a way that would adequately communicate
what to expect from it, although that might be considered a good thing.
These seventeen songs seem to tell a story, even if considerations like plot
and characters aren't present. The nature of the story is unclear, but its
twists and turns are best experienced with a relatively clean slate. Although
Pollard's role in Circus Devils is not as substantial as his part in GBV or most
of its side projects, this intriguing release is worth a look for fans and non-fans
alike.
http://www.myspace.com/circusdevils