Hold on.

Although I feel this review is majorly flawed, I'll address one thing at a time, and the first topic is this: How in the world do you get away continually comparing this band to The Mars Volta, here and elsewhere across this site? Besides a high pitched singer and leanings toward experimental songwriting, how are they really that related? The Mars Volta are a progressive rock band spliced with salsa and free jazz, featuring abstract imagery in their lyrics, jazz fusion intrumentals, concept albums, a permanent horn player, etc, and Circa Survive is a traditional band set up that features two guitarists who make constant use of delay pedals and distortion and cryptic lyrics heavy on emotion. Besides sharing the idea of a having a trippy sound (and their sounds are both trippy for very different reasons), how does one continually compare the two and claim Circa Survive to simply be lame rip-offs of The Mars Volta? How?! (Keep in mind The Mars Volta are my favorite band, not Circa Survive.) And though Circa Survive's sound does seem to ape dredg's, the latter more depends on electronics to achieve the spacey sound they both do.

I would go on, but, like I said, I'll keep this to one complaint at a time. I just want to get some idea of your thought process on this, not just circular reasoning.This Message Edited On 09.24.07This Message Edited On 09.24.07

Album Rating: 4.0

I thought I was the only one who thought Circa Survive were boring and Anthony Green was overrated. Thank christ I'm not.

This album bored me. Great for falling asleep to though.

Album Rating: 5.0

I believe this is one of the most beautifully written albums i've ever heard. The guitars are harmonious, the drums are intricate and powerful, and vocals (though repetitive) fit the style and give each and every song its own feeling...

Throwing in random adjectives doesn't make your point all that strong. It's cool that you like this album, but I don't think you like it enough for it to be a 5 holmes.

The guitars are delicous and the drums remind me of beautiful sunsets spent in maine
Every bass note fills me with glory the same way hot chocolate does and the vocals make me feel like partying


innapropriate adjective use ftw!

No, there really is no influence there, sorry Illuvator, and even if there was, you need to review a work of art by itself, not by holding up to something else.

And too bad Anthony Green has been singing in bands since the year 2000 (and ATD-I's singing style is nothing like Green's); just check out acts like Audience of One or Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer.

I'd like to point out some other flaws I found, but I just don't really care anymore since I'm never going to change anyone's opinions. Take the music for what it is and love it or hate it.

This album is far from original? I think Hellogoodbye is far from original or Cute Is What We Aim For is far from original. Just because you have a raging boner for Cedric (which isn't necesarrily a bad thing), that doesn't mean any band that has distorted, winding guitar lines and high pitched vocals copied De-Loused. You're basis is just way off.

I am fine with comparing works when necessary, but this album is not in any way a copy cat of The Mars Volta. That's just off the wall foolishness! You all must agree, yes?! This is mind numblingly obvious one of the most original releases of the year! It's hard to put into words why when the reasons for it are so blatant it's almost transcendental. And when one openly admits their distaste for the band as a whole, why go on reviewing them, especially for their second album? Anyone who doesn’t realize the growth between the two albums obviously doesn’t understand what is going on here. Growing as an artist doesn’t always mean re-inventing oneself, but could very well be just perfecting a trademark sound. Obviously you hate their trademark sound, so finding nothing impressive in its perfection would lead you to claim this album shows no growth. And how anyone could put down the lyrics on this album is beyond me. I suppose Green should've just skipped poetic and went straight for word salad? The way the music is presented and played, along with the lyrics and the way they're sung make this an unabashedly emotional album to me. One of the most emotional albums I've even listened to! Their songs and the individuals' parts on them must be viewed as wholes, like a single instrument.

But I have more important things to do than this. I understand you dislike them quite greatly, but I’d love to just get you to admit your album review is narrow minded, boring, unfounded, illogical, and therefore fataly flawed.

Oh, and I'm sure Anthony's voice evolved via him forcing it to ape the vocals of Cedric long before he hit it big with At the Drive-In. I mean, Anthony's vocals were probably deep and baritone before he impropably heard Cedric sing in his early, much more guttaral yell on early At the Drive In EPs.

Saying he ripped off his vocals from someone else (in an almost impossible timeline given their bands' popularities and impossible for the sheer fact most singer's voices evolve naturally and can't be dramatically alterered) is one of the dumbest and most unfounded things I've ever read. It's obvious the vocals are coincidence, and therefore comparing them proves pointless when looking at the vision Anthony held for the album. Plus, anyone with a trained ear (or, Hell, even hearing) can tell the many differences between the voices - i.e. Cedric is much more shrieky, etc. High voices are not all the same...

Since I'll never change your opinion, I suppose all message boards should be shut down to people who don't agree.

The point (and pointlessness) of these forums are too argue music, not just suck the reviewer's dicks.

I realized this all as well (as I noted in an earlier post), but I feel compelled to get my feelings out to the others who may read and perhaps see both of our viewpoints clearly and judge for themselves. I am not merely posting these for your eyes.


BTW, I was posting that last comment before your response. Also, I am trying to argue more objectively than subjectively.

I do not believe they are Gods - I haven't even given my rating of the album yet.

I did thow in a lot of my opinion, which is wrong when viewing things objectively, but my main point was simply to show that you reviewed the album in a manner that isn't reasonable and entered the whole listening process with an unfair bias.

I suppose we shall leave this behind? I don't wish to make enemies or seem such an arrogant prick before my 10th comment...

Album Rating: 4.0

the album's okay. it sounds like juturna on coffee, though. and not really in a good way.



it is really anticlimactic though.

Album Rating: 3.5

It was ok i really liked the guitars just blending and the spacey feel of the whole album.

Album Rating: 3.5

Anyone listen to Anthony's solo stuff?

He's going to be releasing a solo album this year.

Album Rating: 3.0

I think the past 3 pages or so of this thread are the funniest thing I've seen on Sputnik so far. Bravo, men. Bravo.



More seriously, I used to think this was a 4. And then a 3.5. And now a 3. It does get very, very old very, very quick.

Album Rating: 4.0

I listened to this again just now. It's ok. 'Kicking Your Crosses Down' and 'Travel Hymn' are tight.

Album Rating: 4.0

this is a very good review 8) but I do like this cd a lot

Album Rating: 3.5

i almost picked this up because i thought it would be good with all the hype about it. now i'm glad i didn't.

Album Rating: 4.0

I listened to the record again. It's not as bad as I thought it was, but Green's voice is still a bit much.

The Difference Between rules.

These guys were very average live. Anthony Green tries to sing like Jeremy Enigk, but is forevermore owned by him.