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Circle Takes the Square
As the Roots Undo


5.0
classic

Review

by Hatshepsut USER (13 Reviews)
June 21st, 2006 | 108 replies


Release Date: 2004 | Tracklist


There are but a few precious things that I truly treasure in life. My closest friends. My family. But then it turns to my own decisions, the material possession I desire to have. My electric guitar. My music. And there’s hardly a CD, if any, that’s more treasured, more praised by myself than Circle Takes the Square’s “As the Roots Undo.”

This was anything but love at first sight. When I first popped this CD in, there wasn't much at first that was different from me trying out any other album. The filler "Intro" quickly flowed into the first real track "Same Shade as Concrete," and I was ambivalent on the album’s would-be quality. The vocals are very strange, with a male and female voice shrieking and singing, seemingly desperate to get their feelings out. I had a feeling I wasn't gonna enjoy the album very much solely because of the vocals, but as I went along on the CD, one thing caught my ears' attention: time changes. Tempo, tempo, tempo. For example, in a simple (if you can call it that), barely-over-two minutes-song like Crowquill, I was amazed how many time changes there were. The song just stops, the drums just slow down tremendously, this coming right after crazy frenzied shrieking and incredibly fast power chords and riffs and very fast drumming, hitting everything in sight. The mood, atmosphere, even train of thought, gets completely disrupted. The shrieking calms, the guitars quiet down, the drums slow to a crawl. This is a reoccurring theme that keeps the listener hooked. This is the lock, the quintessential (am I using that word right?) element to this album. This keeps the whole CD interesting.

The CD is an easy classic. However, this is probably not the album you would play for your friends for entertainment, since they’ll probably complain about the vocals but if you’re looking to find an album to get hooked to when you have the time, to desire to listen to every minute of every day, this is definitely it. This might as well be my favorite album ever.



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user ratings (2204)
4.1
excellent
other reviews of this album
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Comments:Add a Comment 
Hatshepsut
June 22nd 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Is this good for a mini-review? It started out as a sound off but I couldn't write little enough :-

mx
Moderator
June 22nd 2006


752 Comments


This is a fine length, just break it up into paragraphs

Hatshepsut
June 22nd 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Will do.



Done.This Message Edited On 06.21.06

STLMiguel
June 22nd 2006


335 Comments


OK, so I'm looking at the Members Also Liked ...

I love the Mars Volta and Refused, but I don't like Thrice or Thursday AT ALL ... should I check this out or not, old pals?

STLMiguel
June 22nd 2006


335 Comments


Thanks, Eliminator. And I dig the fairly new avatar. Mine was going to be Dylan, but I made it "Twin Peaks" instead.

Thanks for the new band to check out, Hat!

Bron-Yr-Aur
June 22nd 2006


4405 Comments


I'm growing curious about this band.

TurnTheOtherWay
June 22nd 2006


459 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I've never really been into emo, but I might check them out sometime based on the hype. Artwork's crazy.

pixiesfanyo
June 22nd 2006


1223 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

The only album this is similar too on the other members like thing is The Shape of Punk To Come.



If you are looking for epic, grindy, core music. Check this out.

Hatshepsut
June 22nd 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

This is hardly like the Members Liked things and the only reason I didn't recommend anything is because I'm not sure of anything that sounds similar; it's in a class of its own. Everyone should do themselves a favor and check this out. The album kicks major arse.



Scyther ftw.This Message Edited On 06.22.06

Full Collapse299
June 22nd 2006


507 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Good review. For something similar try Pg. 99

204409
Emeritus
June 23rd 2006


3998 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

pagenintetynine has no expansive songs, so I really wouldn't recommend this.

Hatshepsut
June 23rd 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Damn. Any recommendations for fans of this?

204409
Emeritus
June 23rd 2006


3998 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Click on my review. I inputted a bunch of albums.

SantaDuJuan
July 27th 2006


9 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I enjoy the album.

Pyramidman
July 27th 2006


1340 Comments


ive still managed to avoid hearing this


Arrakakaka
August 7th 2006


685 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I find this album hyped to pieces. It's still a face melter thought.



Good review.

francesfarmer
August 7th 2006


1477 Comments


I was never into hardcore really, but I liked the emo stuff. These guys are alright. Nothing groundbreaking, I think. Just very original. Took a hell of a long time to grow on me...>_>This Message Edited On 08.07.06

theminustimes
July 24th 2007


261 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

be fore joining this site i had a terrible misinterpretation of the word emo. When some one said emo i instantly thought of MCR and Hawthorne Heights. One day i decided to go through the list of emo bands on this site and was opened to a great new world of music.

I could never see any of the emo kids i know listening to true emo music. they just listen to a bunch of pop punk bands and were to much makeup

IsItLuck?
Emeritus
July 24th 2007


4957 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

nice revelation

JumpTheF**kUp
August 2nd 2007


2722 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

When will Nick's review be back up?

I changed my rating to a 5 after listening to Same Shade as Concrete about ten times in a row. The ending is so epic.



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