Review Summary: This album has defined Circa Survive as one of the best at what they produce, and I don’t think I will be losing them within the thousands of songs on my iPod again any time soon.
The third album from Circa Survive can be seen as their big chance to show that they can do it better than other progressive rock bands. For me, I have always thought Circa Survive were great but not awesome. They have released some standout songs, however they always manage to somehow get lost while my iPod fills up with new music. The few extremely memorable tracks like “The Difference Between Medicine & Poison Is In The Dose” surface somewhat now and then, but few others do. I really think that this album has defined Circa Survive as one of the best at what they produce, and I don’t think I will be losing them within the thousands of songs on my iPod again any time soon.
“Strange Terrain”
“Strange Terrain” is a powerful and appropriate opening track for the album, which is filled with great little lyrical analogies and, of course, Anthony Green’s tremendous vocal abilities which are evident throughout the song. I think the song is one of the more ‘catchy’ ones on the album, with quite a simple progression and structure throughout. It kind of avoids having any extreme experimental edge, yet it has enough to make it not sound like a pop song. It is quite a safe song, but hey, it works, and that’s what matters in the end.
“Get Out”
This song has a great groove throughout the verses and is in a sense harder than the previous track “Strange Terrain”. This song illustrates some of the better guitar work on the album, with little solo breaks bursting out every so often, hinting at more of a progressive and experimental style to the track. I think this is one of the more energetic songs on the album which achieves a hard yet groovy sound, while still keeping it approachable to people who dislike heavier styles of music.
“Glass Arrows”
I really love the guitar at the start of this song, and as soon as I heard it, I had high hopes for this track and it did not disappoint. The song has a chorus that will stick with you while you continue to listen to the rest of the song. The vocal work on this track is great, however I think that this is one of the songs where the actual music outdoes Green’s vocals. I’m not saying his vocals aren’t good on this track, they are awesome, however I think this is a shining example of the talent of the instrumentalists within the band.
“I Felt Free”
I think this song is similar to “Strange Terrain” in the sense of safety. It is not too experimental or progressive, which could bring about new fans. Simply, this song would be a great single in promoting the band and unleashing them upon a new audience. By the end, Green’s voice seems to shine over the music and makes the track seem much more colourful than it was at the beginning.
“Imaginary Enemy”
“Imaginary Enemy” is the second single from the album, and I think is a good choice as the second single. It is a good mix of their musical styles which produces a song that I would call progressive pop, because it’s much like the ‘safer’ songs on the album but is a bit harder and more experimental, especially with help from the guitar work (especially in the solo, about three quarters of the way through). The song finishes with a great little ambient piano bit and leads extremely well into the next track.
“Through The Desert Alone”
I think this is the best build up and start off to any of the songs off the album. The ambient sound from the last song which crosses over slowly builds and builds, until it bursts out with amazing vocals and catchy muted guitar riffs followed by a duel of riffs which sounds amazing. The chorus is brilliant and memorable. The brilliance continues to grow for the duration of the track, which includes a heavy (for lack of a better word) breakdown, which is extremely well done, and is a great end to the first half of the album. This is definitely my favourite song, because it combines all the right elements and is presented in a way that is outstanding.
“Frozen Creek”
A change in pace, this story of a lonely house with a pebble driveway, starts with a very calm chord progression which is accompanied with extremely well executed vocals from Green. The ballad’s chorus is really beautiful, especially the melodies of the guitars and vocal which intertwine in a way where none are drowned out, and all are equal. I think this is another one of my favourites on the album, which is almost the complete opposite of my other favourite track “Through The Desert Alone”.
“Fever Dreams”
One of the more true experimental songs on the album, “Fever Dreams” brings us a delayed guitar, joined with a fast chord progression from an acoustic guitar, and an almost tribal sounding drum beat. With all this going on the vocals manage to flow alongside it in a really cool way. I have to say this song is one of the more interesting songs on the album, due to it being so diverse. I think it’s a great example of some of Circa Survive’s more experimental work.
“Spirit Of The Stairwell”
This is the token slow and sad song on the album and in a sense more of a ballad than the track “Frozen Creek”, featuring, pretty much the acoustic guitar and the vocals, along with a few parts of electric guitar (which mainly is used as an ambience element). It’s quite a sweet song, and is probably the most relaxing track. It doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t by having some grand build up to a big load of irrelevance. It stays true to itself which is what I like about it.
“The Longest Mile”
This is a really cool song, another one of my favourites. It has a more typical Circa Survive sound like some of the songs off their second album “On Letting Go”. It is one of the faster paced songs, which has really cool sounding drums, especially at the beginning of the song. The vocals however are the highlight on this track, which again demonstrate Green’s ability as a vocalist. I like the uplifting sense of the song, where the message is really nailed home by the end.
“Compendium”
I think that this track is a perfect ‘intro’ almost to the final song on the album. It starts off really quite beautifully and then is filled with space noises and a faster pace, which is beautiful in a different sense. The production on the track is really well done, and as I said before sets the scene nicely for the album closer.
“Dyed In The Wool”
The song to me seems like it should be in the soundtrack of an independent film, about teenage love and filled with dark comedy. You know the kind of films I’m talking about. I think “Dyed In The Wool” brings the album to an end awesomely, it basically leaves you feeling happy and reassured of the beautiful things in life.
BASICALLY: All in all I think that the album starts well, but by about half way through it just excels into a truly awesome example of progressive music. I like how there is a good mix of slow and fast, and experimental and safe, because having only one specific style of music on the album would not make it a Circa Survive album. Although many people were unsure of what the album was going to sound like, or were unsure in which direction they were going to take with it, I think that many people will (after a few listens) really begin to dig this awesome effort from Circa Survive.
BEST TRACK: “Through The Desert Alone”
