Circulus is a psychedelic folk rock band from Ohio and they have 3 full length albums under their belt.  I'm reviewing their debut album which was released in 2005.  I don't really remember how I stumbled upon this album but I remember it was about two to three years ago.  This album definitely isn't something I would normally listen to so it's bit "out there" for this blog but I don't really care and you are more than free to skip this one and read other reviews.  However, if you are more open minded like I am and willing to give this one a chance, then you won't be disappointed.

The album cover art is one of the best I've ever seen in awhile and even the album title is pretty awesome.  This is your typical folksy rock with a psychedelic influences.  It is not cheesy, far from it, but it is a very fun album to listen to.  One thing that is interesting is the fact there isn't much of singing on this album.  Some songs are instrumental and others just have a little of singing, mostly male vocals.  The production is very impressive for this style and I really appreciate that.  I absolutely love the songs "My Body is Made of Sunlight" and "Candlelight", such fantastic songs that are just beautiful to listen to. 

I strongly recommend this album to those who enjoy folk and folk influenced rock music.  Hell, I recommend this to anyone who's willing to be open minded.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed. I think this album is perfect for listening while you are surrounded by nature like forest or mountains or just away from people and technology in general(except for your CD player or iPod).

Score: 8/10

Labels: circulus, folk, psychedelic, rock

I got this album as an early Christmas gift and I never really heard of them except for an introductory interview in a random metal zine.  Cannot remember which at the moment but I'm very glad I got a copy.  They just signed to Tee Pee Records and released this as their debut.  The band is from NYC and they are very difficult to label.  I don't know about you but I love bands like that because I've pretty much listened to every genre and it's getting more difficult to find something new.  While, they aren't exactly "new", they do bring some unique mix of sludge, punk, and rock.

I'm really impressed with the sound production of this album.  Usually underground bands aren't able to get quality mastering and the sound suffers due to this.  However, the sound is very crisp and well balanced.  None of the instruments take over the rest.  It's all very tight and blend together well.  The drums is very relentless and fast.  Best part is the bass is actually listenable!  The guitar riffs are excellent and the harmonies is crazy.  Very inventive solos as well.  The vocals is nothing special but it doesn't take away anything from the album either.  Overall the sound is sorta technical, yet sludge.  Very odd but you gotta listen to the album to know what I mean by that.

Recommended for anyone who dig sludge or at least "out there" rock music.

Score: 7.5/10



bandcamp: http://elksny.bandcamp.com/

Labels: american, baroness, elks, rock, sludge

Transbeauce is a French rock band and they have been around since 1997. I received their album, Stories On The Radio, and gave it several listens in past few days. I really enjoyed the mellow sound and I can see that they are very experienced with their instruments. It's actually an instrumental album so there's no vocals on it. At first I was a little hesitant because it is very difficult to make a very good instrumental album without any lyrics to tell a story. However, I think they did pretty good job with that. I noticed that some of the songs sound little similar and I think that more variety in tempo and beats would make the songs different, yet still flow together. Overally this is a good mellow album and I would recommend it to anyone who may want to just chill out and listen to good relaxing music. 6/10

www.myspace.com/transbeauce

Labels: french, french rock, instrumental, review, rock, transbeauce