Circus Devils
"Gringo" CD
Happy Jack Rock
Records
Genre: rock, prog rock,
experimental rock
Akron, OH
May 8, 2009 |
It hasn't been long since we last heard from Circus Devils, as
their last record just came out last Halloween. Yet, Gringo
marks the band's latest attempt to separate itself from the vast pack
of Robert Pollard related projects. And it seems as if they're
doing just that. While Ataxia was an intriguing and unique pop
experiment, Gringo condenses the band's quirkiness and carves
it into a unique yet distinctly melodic release.
A collaboration between Pollard and Tim and Todd
Tobias, Circus Devils exudes a healthy prog influence,
although Gringo is principally a pop album if nothing else.
Among these sixteen songs are several serious treats, including fiesty
"Easy Baby," and menacing "Letters From A Witch." Equally intoxicating
are brilliantly keyboard-laden "In Your Hour of Rescue" and acoustic
folker "Shipped from Prison to Prison." And beyond the more accessible
"singles" lie several intriguing experiments, including dark "Monkey
Head" and "Arizona Blacktop Co." and appealing atmospheric sojourns
"Hot Water Wine" and "Yellow Cloud."
As always, the knock on this record is, perhaps, its lack of
cohesion. Tobias, Tobias, and Pollard have
seemingly always been more about songs than albums, and this eclectic
batch of material is no exception. Still, there are vague themes tying
this disc together, specifically Pollard's
unmistakable voice (the Tobiases don't sing), and what could be
dubbed "quirk prog."
Still, whether this is a collection of songs or a true album in the
gestalt sense of the word is rather inconsequential. What is important
is that Gringo is a real step forward for Circus Devils,
whose recent output is beginning to rival Pollard's own solo
material.
circus
devils' myspace
84%
youuuuuuuutube!:
"get me extra!" (from ataxia)
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 16 tracks, distributed by
Rockathon Music,
released April 14, 2009] |