Every record
review is a constant reminder and an ongoing example of subjectivity. That
being said, every opinion on the matter is useful. Circa Survive released "The
Amulet" via Hopeless Records on September 14th of 2017 and this is my
first encounter with the very popular, as it turns out, indie progressive rock
band hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia. Circa Survive came to be when
members of Saosin and This Day Forward combined musical aesthetic and talent
back in 2004. From then on, the trail has been impressively upward for the most
part, them having released six LP’s, having joined several impressive labels
(yes, even Atlantic) and having toured extensively and on a pretty massive
scale with some terrific bands (Thrice, My Chemical Romance, Architects, Citizen,
Turnover, MeWithoutYou, to name a few). The name of the
band had circled my radar but I’d never listened to a single thing from their
catalog.
When a review of The Amulet was
kindly suggested, I went online and the first thing I witnessed was Circa
Survive’s video for "Lustration", which is the opening track to the record. “Oh,
this isn’t my cup of tea”, I thought. Then I played "The Amulet" over and over
until I had a solid “rookie” opinion on it.
Generally speaking I don’t like long
songs and records, I don’t especially enjoy that much of an atmosphere to what
I listen to and progressive music takes me to uninteresting places. "The Amulet" is all those things combined and many more as well.
I
still can’t get it over my head that the vocals aren’t those of a female singer.
Anthony Green’s singing is a one of a kind thing and that alone is impressive.
The band obviously takes immaculate care of everything that goes into making a
record; songwriting is clearly stripped down to the last detail, producers and
engineers are carefully chosen (Will Yip in this case!), high quality promotional
video clips shot and the list could go on and on. I’m pretty sure that the band
is perfect at their live performance as well and I totally respect the bands
that join their tours or vice versa. If I had to choose between songs that
stood out for me from "The Amulet", I would mention "Lustration", "Rites Of
Investiture" and the title track itself.
From
what I’ve gathered people are considering "The Amulet" as Circa Survive’s best
work in a while so, while I personally haven’t become a huge fan, in essence
I’m glad I was introduced to the band and am grateful to broaden my musical
knowledge.
6/10
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