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Circa Survive
On Letting Go
Equal Vision CD
If you loved Juturna, you’ll like On Letting Go. If you didn’t, then you definitely won’t.
I know many ears find Circa Survive boring and repetitive. However I enjoy the group and I really got lost in their debut album Juturna. So needless to say I was anxious to hear this new release.
On Letting Go is good, but it sounds very similar to their debut. If you mixed up both albums and played one for my ears, I honestly don’t think I would be able to tell the two apart from each other. Well, not at first. After a few spins you’ll be able to home in on the difference, however On Letting Go isn’t a huge progressive step forward. Perhaps the sophomore release is a little too predictable with the same thickly layered reverberating guitar melodies, but the formula works.
Anthony Green’s powerful soaring vocals are still upfront and the main prominent element of Circa Survive. The rock melodies still swirl endlessly around your head and the atmosphere is thickly layered and dense. Tracks like “On Letting Go,” “Close Your Eyes,” and the closer “Your Friends Are Gone” will put a cold tight aural grip around your ears. Crisp and dynamic, each song blends into the next, swirling a halo of echoing notes and dizzying rhythms in the air. If the standout “The Difference Between Medicine and Poison Is the Dose” doesn’t exhilarate your soul then nothing from the Circa Survive camp will.
The production on On Letting Go sounds more crystalline than Juturna, but with Brian McTernan behind the boards this is no surprise. The circular die cut and graphic illustration is astounding. It definitely caught this graphic designer’s eyes. Esao Andrews did the artwork on both the debut and On Letting Go, and his art is awe-inspiring. Very cool stuff and it complements Circa Survive’s melodic rockage perfectly.
It would have been nice to hear a little more progression, but On Letting Go is a solid release. I might be one of few that don’t find this band “fucking boring,” however On Letting Go is an album I’ll be spinning numerous times. It’s got that autumnal feel, so I’m sure the spins will increase come October. Definitely cool stuff.
by Fake Train
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