Russian Circles Enter
Flameshovel Records DIG035 May 16th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
Finish Tidess From Silence EP and waiting on the forthcoming record from Red Sparowes? Get Enter now. Seriously. I was first introduced to these Chicagoans at a Mono / Pelican show in which Russian Circles were the opening band. In short, they impressed me tremendously, but not solely due to their brand of dark, instrumental post-rock the threesome were also energetic and vibrant.
Its a shame that Enter blended in with the poster they had for sale because if I wouldve noticed it before I spent a boatload of money on Pelican merchandise, I wouldve bought the $10 disc on the spot. Luckily, though, a local store stocks the Russian Circles full-length, and I purchased it there. As far as the actual music is concerned, the debut is 45 minutes long and contains six songs. Carpe traverses the peaks and valleys that bands such as Pelican, Isis, and Tides have crossed before, the nine minutes simultaneously serve as a terrific lead-in and build-up to the excellence to follow. The beginning of Micah feels like the tail end, ironically, yet the 8-minute composition has much more wandering to do than it first lets on. With their firm grip on emotion and subtlety relayed through vocal-free music, the trio is essentially an uncanny companion to their fellow Illinois-rooted, bird-loving friends.
Perhaps my favorite of the six is Death Rides a Horse, a song that features numerous scintillating moments courtesy of the fine drumming. In this case, less is not necessarily more. However, at times, Russian Circles actually steer away from traditional post-rock in Death Rides a Horse and veer towards pitter-pattering indie rock. Its a successful marriage, nevertheless. Just when you think theyre winding down the drums gradually diminish starting at 4:40 they all jump back in at 5:06 with the force of a distortion-filled tidal wave. Then, as suddenly as they reappeared, they drop out in favor of reverb. The Dysrhythmia-esque rhythms of Enter are buttressed by tension, yet relieved occasionally by moments of serenity, while You Already Did is relatively straightforward. Also, unlike the former, the latter is more inviting and easier to approach. New Macabre the final tune unsurprisingly incorporates the light/heavy dichotomy that permeates the entirety of Enter.
Though this is not the best example of instrumental post-rock, its a damn good one. Below the obvious songwriting skills is a band that knows how to play, but arguably more profound is the ability of Russian Circles to ensnare an audience for 45 minutes on end. Essentially, Enter has no weak spots. I hesitate to lift this trio above their established peers we need more albums with at least the same amount of finesse but Ive gotta recommend this to anyone whos experiencing withdrawal between doses of notable, instrumental p-r. The Tides injection wore off a while back, as did the Mouth of the Architect / Kenoma tablet, and Im ecstatic that I discovered these dudes before I had to go look for a fix. This will be on my year-end list for 2006. Its that good.
8.5/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Russian Circles Website
Official Flameshovel Records Website
Flameshovel Records DIG035 May 16th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
Finish Tidess From Silence EP and waiting on the forthcoming record from Red Sparowes? Get Enter now. Seriously. I was first introduced to these Chicagoans at a Mono / Pelican show in which Russian Circles were the opening band. In short, they impressed me tremendously, but not solely due to their brand of dark, instrumental post-rock the threesome were also energetic and vibrant.
Its a shame that Enter blended in with the poster they had for sale because if I wouldve noticed it before I spent a boatload of money on Pelican merchandise, I wouldve bought the $10 disc on the spot. Luckily, though, a local store stocks the Russian Circles full-length, and I purchased it there. As far as the actual music is concerned, the debut is 45 minutes long and contains six songs. Carpe traverses the peaks and valleys that bands such as Pelican, Isis, and Tides have crossed before, the nine minutes simultaneously serve as a terrific lead-in and build-up to the excellence to follow. The beginning of Micah feels like the tail end, ironically, yet the 8-minute composition has much more wandering to do than it first lets on. With their firm grip on emotion and subtlety relayed through vocal-free music, the trio is essentially an uncanny companion to their fellow Illinois-rooted, bird-loving friends.
Perhaps my favorite of the six is Death Rides a Horse, a song that features numerous scintillating moments courtesy of the fine drumming. In this case, less is not necessarily more. However, at times, Russian Circles actually steer away from traditional post-rock in Death Rides a Horse and veer towards pitter-pattering indie rock. Its a successful marriage, nevertheless. Just when you think theyre winding down the drums gradually diminish starting at 4:40 they all jump back in at 5:06 with the force of a distortion-filled tidal wave. Then, as suddenly as they reappeared, they drop out in favor of reverb. The Dysrhythmia-esque rhythms of Enter are buttressed by tension, yet relieved occasionally by moments of serenity, while You Already Did is relatively straightforward. Also, unlike the former, the latter is more inviting and easier to approach. New Macabre the final tune unsurprisingly incorporates the light/heavy dichotomy that permeates the entirety of Enter.
Though this is not the best example of instrumental post-rock, its a damn good one. Below the obvious songwriting skills is a band that knows how to play, but arguably more profound is the ability of Russian Circles to ensnare an audience for 45 minutes on end. Essentially, Enter has no weak spots. I hesitate to lift this trio above their established peers we need more albums with at least the same amount of finesse but Ive gotta recommend this to anyone whos experiencing withdrawal between doses of notable, instrumental p-r. The Tides injection wore off a while back, as did the Mouth of the Architect / Kenoma tablet, and Im ecstatic that I discovered these dudes before I had to go look for a fix. This will be on my year-end list for 2006. Its that good.
8.5/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Russian Circles Website
Official Flameshovel Records Website
