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Back in the dim days of the mid- to late-90s, it was common enough practice for naysayers of the then nascent post-rock genre (generally agreed to be the worst genre name ever, but nobody’s really thought of anything better) to bemoan the amount of time the tunes spent being pretty before arriving at the thunderous crescendos. As these tended to be everybody’s favourite bits, the question was often asked: why wasn’t it possible for bands to make wholly loud records?
The actual answer to that question is rather complicated, though would probably end by pointing to the absurd 65daysofstatic, the Sheffield group who have of late morphed into a sort of post-rock boyband.
But you could also take Chicago’s Russian Circles as a more sophisticated case in point. The trio have actually made a pretty decent fist of putting volume first on their previous records, combining a clean, riffs-up-front approach with a grasp of dynamics that kept the quiet stuff to a minimum without rendering the music lumbering or unsubtle.
Nonetheless, there was always a note of military efficiency to them, a coldness in their heart. While still loud enough to wake up a fair-sized neighbourhood, Geneva brings in strings, horns and just a little more calm; and with all that comes far and away Russian Circles’ most genuinely affecting record.
It’s still tougher than the last few Mogwai albums combined, commencing with the nerve-jangling urgency of Fathom – all heart-attack bass and sobbing feedback – and following with the barely suppressed violence of the title track’s tightly wound guitar figure. But then the songs begin to get longer, warmer and more expansive, and as they do the new instruments work their way to the heart of the music.
Though the extra players are generally used sparingly – the haunted brass that sporadically pierces When the Mountain Comes to Mohammed; the sonorous breakdown on Melee – they allow the band to push on into quite different sonic pastures for the climactic Philos. A blissful ten-minute pulse and flow, the auxiliary musicians rise and dissipate in stately waves as the band rattle below, efficiency traded for something suspiciously close to euphoria. --Andrzej Lukowski
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Great 3rd album from Chicago's finest.Amazing melodies and atmosphere , this is such a grower and it is getting constant play almost 1 year after its release. I thought Station was my favourite album from them , but now i have a hard time deciding which of the two i love best.
If you like a band resemebling the epic soundscapes of Isis , without the brutal vocals (no vocals at all),with better melodies and great 'feeling' search no more.
My favourite new band and a serious contender for best 'new' post-rock band.
Now if only they tour Europe again....
If you like a band resemebling the epic soundscapes of Isis , without the brutal vocals (no vocals at all),with better melodies and great 'feeling' search no more.
My favourite new band and a serious contender for best 'new' post-rock band.
Now if only they tour Europe again....
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Bought Geneva after reading a description of the music and seeing the excellent cover photo. I've listened to it repeatedly. A solid mix of power and subtlety. I've always liked instrumental bands - Dif Juz from many years ago being a fave. This is different and well worth the money - now I've got to go and get the back catalogue!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
11 reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Their best work to date.
25 Oct 2009
Format:Audio CD
Russian Circles is one of my favourite bands, if not my favourite. I've listen to Enter and Station countless times, soaking in every detail I can, finding something new with every listen. I hyped Geneva to no end, and it delivers on all fronts. Heavy, brooding, and absolutely beautiful.
The first two tracks are absolutely relentless - dark, heavy, and unsettling. The album opens with a violin and a cello, fighting back and forth to play a single note, bending and twisting. Dave pounds the toms, and the song proceeds forward. The song ends the same as it began, which leads into Geneva. Absolutely massive and an incredibly dark atmosphere, Geneva is the heaviest song Russian Circles have ever written. Brian's bass work shows here, as the single best bassline in the band's history comes in about half-way through the song!
The album then takes a turn with Melee, a painstakingly beautiful song with an incredibly creative and catchy drum beat at the beginning, with Dave playing 16th notes on the rim of his snare and the bass drum thumping on syncopated beats. It's brilliant, and the song as two very distinct parts that compliment each other wonderfully. Hexed All is one the softest songs on the album, and probably the softest song they've ever written (Xavii being the other.) Simple guitar melodies and bass notes are complimented by a very simple, repeated pattern on the drums, with the accents coming in on different beats as the pattern repeats itself.
Malko is the next song on the album - an extremely aggressive track that starts with Mike's signature guitar tapping and ends in absolute chaos. A very short but destructive track.
The second-to-last song is When the Mountain Comes to Muhammed, an incredibly dark track. It's the band's first use of any type of vocals. A sample from the Oppenheimer atomic bomb tests opens the song, which sets a very creepy mood. The song builds slowly as the man in the sample awaits the bomb's detonation, and when the wave finally hits, a sudden rumbling starts in the sample, followed by an unsettling nose from the guitar, and finally a bass melody that sets the chord progression for the rest of the song. The song concludes with an unexpected use of horns, which I found to be very, very suiting.
The album ends with Philios, a track they previously released on a split with These Arms are Snakes. It's by far the most optimistic (well, the only optimistic) song on the album and features a brilliant use of strings and horns, which leads into a huge climax, which actually reminded me a lot of Red Sparowes, particularly the clean-sounding guitar strums.
Geneva is a masterpiece, and is by far the band's most compelling album. I didn't expect to be disappointed with Geneva, and I wasn't. It features the best riffs, chord progressions, drum work, and bass work in the band's career, and there's not a weak track on the entire album. I cannot wait to hear what these guys release next.
The first two tracks are absolutely relentless - dark, heavy, and unsettling. The album opens with a violin and a cello, fighting back and forth to play a single note, bending and twisting. Dave pounds the toms, and the song proceeds forward. The song ends the same as it began, which leads into Geneva. Absolutely massive and an incredibly dark atmosphere, Geneva is the heaviest song Russian Circles have ever written. Brian's bass work shows here, as the single best bassline in the band's history comes in about half-way through the song!
The album then takes a turn with Melee, a painstakingly beautiful song with an incredibly creative and catchy drum beat at the beginning, with Dave playing 16th notes on the rim of his snare and the bass drum thumping on syncopated beats. It's brilliant, and the song as two very distinct parts that compliment each other wonderfully. Hexed All is one the softest songs on the album, and probably the softest song they've ever written (Xavii being the other.) Simple guitar melodies and bass notes are complimented by a very simple, repeated pattern on the drums, with the accents coming in on different beats as the pattern repeats itself.
Malko is the next song on the album - an extremely aggressive track that starts with Mike's signature guitar tapping and ends in absolute chaos. A very short but destructive track.
The second-to-last song is When the Mountain Comes to Muhammed, an incredibly dark track. It's the band's first use of any type of vocals. A sample from the Oppenheimer atomic bomb tests opens the song, which sets a very creepy mood. The song builds slowly as the man in the sample awaits the bomb's detonation, and when the wave finally hits, a sudden rumbling starts in the sample, followed by an unsettling nose from the guitar, and finally a bass melody that sets the chord progression for the rest of the song. The song concludes with an unexpected use of horns, which I found to be very, very suiting.
The album ends with Philios, a track they previously released on a split with These Arms are Snakes. It's by far the most optimistic (well, the only optimistic) song on the album and features a brilliant use of strings and horns, which leads into a huge climax, which actually reminded me a lot of Red Sparowes, particularly the clean-sounding guitar strums.
Geneva is a masterpiece, and is by far the band's most compelling album. I didn't expect to be disappointed with Geneva, and I wasn't. It features the best riffs, chord progressions, drum work, and bass work in the band's career, and there's not a weak track on the entire album. I cannot wait to hear what these guys release next.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Great Release- A small let down
21 Oct 2009
Format:Audio CD
I've listened to Enter and Station about a thousand times each. I listen to three 'post-rock' bands- Pelican, God Speed and Circles. I'm definitely not a post-rock junkie, and don't jump at most of the other material out there. So, when it comes to these three bands- a release is major. Though I don't love every post-rock act, these three bands are very close to me and are always in my line up. Like I said, Enter and Station were phenomenal, I would rate them both 5 stars hands down. This album I got at a cd store the day before it released, and also heard it once through streaming online a month or two ago. Honestly, I was not blown away. This happened to me last year when Isis released Wavering Radiant. I was not blown away, but I gave the album its due- and have learned to love it. With Russian Circles and bands of the like, I expect to feel really intensely. The music is very emotional, and I want to be consumed by it. When this doesn't happen upon first listen, I don't freak anymore and stop listening. I keep listening because, like with Wavering Radiant, I believe there is something there. I give this album 4 stars because that one extra star is the immediate factor, when an album immediately effects me. It's already growing on me quite a lot, and I've listened a good handful of times through. Its as strong as any post-rock out there, thats for damn sure- but it doesn't hold up to earlier releases with emotionality. To me, the addition of strings and trumpets AND sound bites makes it not sound like Russian Circles. Now it sounds like God Speed. I expect bands to do what ever the feel, so the addition I am not surprised or angry with, I just don't think it suits them. It sounds like RC stepped away from their sound rather than building on it. I understand they tried a ton of new things this record, and thats awesome. I'm sure it'll only make the next one more spectacular. Before I finish- there are three highlights of the album. (I wish there was more!) 1st. Fathom. 2nd. The end of track 02 (Geneva). 3rd. The drum beat in the beginning of Malko. This beat is jaw dropping and inspires me every listen. Get the album! Get the other two also!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
This is a good one...
12 Jan 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
3rd album from Russian Circles lives up to the hype! I'd describe this band as a nice mixture of Pelican, Explosions in the Sky and Red Sparowes, leaning a bit towards the Pelican. But they explore nuance and open space in a way that Pelican doesn't do as much anymore. Three brilliant musicians, a very diverse album that takes you on a journey, what more could you ask for. If you like instrumental music, or any of the above bands, check these guys out! Fabulous...
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