BIO | PRESS | REVIEWS | INTERVIEWS
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 As The Roots Undo opens with a shout of truth: "Rejoice, rejoice, a noble birth!" This trio from Savannah, Georgia, makes torrid, complex scream-ola on this astounding full-length debut, charging its Napalm Death-style time swerves and Fugazi-like guitar meat with a rare, heated male-female vocal attack that puts the X in emo. David Fricke / Rolling Stone Heavy music listeners have been waiting a long time for something like Circle Takes the Square to come along. This Savannah, Ga., collective will give you a glass of warm milk and put you to bed before crashing through the bedroom door weilding a hockey mask and butcher knife to scare the jeepers out of you. On its debut longplayer, “As the Roots Undo,” the band spins to and fro in a teeth-gritting plummet through man’s distressing pursuit of self-actualization. The music is embrangled, cold-sweating rock fronted by dueling male/female vocals of which is some of the most anguished in recent memory. Just as often, though, CTTS spaces out with pensive textures, as on the first half of the mellfluous and mysterious “Non Objective Portrait of Karma” and the repetitive, hypnotic beats sprinkled thoughout “Interview at the Ruins.” Monk chants make an appearance to add extra twists in this bipolar storm. What it amounts to is a sound that may be too complicated and convulted to easy listeners and those who prefer to make no effort when partaking in music, but can not be accused of being boring. Circle Takes the Square makes music that’s not meant to be a cheap thrill, but a difficult, and ultimately rewarding, journey. Wade Coggeshall / The Indiana Journal Review Ahhh … the infamous “screamo” genre! In recent years this genre has become saturated with talent-less kids who believe that all you need are blast beats and sloppy melodic guitars. Unfortunately, those individuals do not capture any dynamic that bands like Circle Takes the Square and company capture (obviously since they are signed to one of the best record labels around in the indie scene).Compared to their previous works CTTS hasn’t necessarily progressed into a different sound, but definitely developed their song writing capabilities. They catch me off guard with little instances of goodness between the blast beats and screeching, it feels so good! That not to say the brutal parts are not great (or unnecessary) but I am more interested into the creativity portion of this record. For all of your CTTS fans out their who haven’t bought this record, it’s going to make you orgasm within the first couple of minutes … yet for all of your skeptics of the genre, just listen to “Interview at the Ruins” and be amazed on a damn cleverly written song.I guess you could say CTTS hasn’t grown incredibly, but if you listen close you will be quite happy to hear some amazing new technique’s these guys use to spice up the stagnant genre we call screamo. Drew / Ink Drinker Aside from amazing packaging and sketches that would make Edward Gorey proud, As the Roots Undo demonstrates a full-frontal creative assault with prongs from the hardcore in "Crowquill", hysteria in "Interview at the Ruins" and even a quiet guitar dreamscape interlude with "Kill the Switch." Regardless of what genre they slip into, Circle is able to master their situation and dig their niche before moving on to the next impossible task. Their ability to fluctuate within all moods is their strongest attribute as a band, and with this debut album, I'm sure they'll be venturing further outside their Savannah, GA hometown to undo their own roots. Caustic Truth Wow. Not only does this CD have some first rate packaging, the music is an absolute tornado of sound and emotion. If you dig down to the roots of CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE you have very angry, dual vox, punk rock fury. Maybe something like BLATZ. But, admittedly, the roots are barely visible here. Complex layers flesh this out immensely. For example, you can't ignore the plentiful screemo here. Or the AmRep influenced noise. Or the experimental holocaust of hardcore ala RUINS or even MELT BANANA. In the end CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE is a densely textured yet very harsh adventure in hardcore. You'll have to have an open mind to appreciate it, but you also better enjoy a high quota of chaos. Jeb Branin / In Music We Trust Hmmm. parts of this are excellent, and parts of it really rub me the wrong way. The songwriting is really intricate and there are a ton of riffs and styles going on, ranging from grinding hardcore/punk to melodic metal, clean breaks, discordant and chaotic runs, noisy electronic textures, layered male/female vocals with screaming, singing, spoken passages, etc. What I don't like are some of the more grating "screamo" sort of aspects. Thankfully they tend to stray from that angle, and the lyrics aren't in that vein at all, but it's still enough of a factor to bother me in some cases. I think a lot of it stems from the vocals, really. The noisier guitar textures and jarring riffs are tastefully handled and make sense, it's not messy, but a lot of the vocal layering and scathing, shrieking screams get old at times. The constant fluctuation of riffs and atmospheres helps spread things out, but I definitely like all of the female vocals way more than the male vocals. I like the songwriting for the most part - especially considering they're able to pull off songs as long as nine minutes. The drumming is really tight, and I wish the guitars were that closely knit, but they're almost there. A few of the more complex riffs have some rough spots in the performances, but this is a curious situation where things are really involved and thought out, but not necessarily intended to be ultra precise. "Interview at the Ruins" has an insanely awesome intro that builds in with thick percussion, dark clean guitars, and the sounds of chains dragging around. The rest of the track is also more moderately paced and melodic, with lots of tasteful background sounds as well as some piano, leading into the equally epic "Non-Objective Portrait of Karma", starting out softly with some volume swells and ambient tones, and a few minutes later exploding into a faster and much more frantic, energetic burst. There are definitely a vast array of dynamics at work here. The recording isn't bad. The clean and acoustic guitars (when present) sound really nice, fairly dry but still with a good tone. The bass sounds good even though it sometimes falls by the wayside, the distorted guitars are dirty enough to have a bite without sacrificing clarity or heaviness, and the drums sound very resonant and thick, which is always a plus. I might like to hear some of the vocals mixed closer to the music, but you get used to it. The CD comes in an insane full color digipack that folds shut with a tab/slot in the back and opens up to reveal a booklet secured to the first panel - including handwritten lyrics/notes and additional artwork. I've never seen anything quite like it before, and I bet it cost a fucking ton of dough! The lyrics are quite lengthy, and I enjoy the approach: "There's so much hope buried underneath tragedy. It's the same shade as concrete. The faithful say it's beautiful, it's god's will, let the flood swell on the loudspeaker sermons and a parish descending. There's so much hope buried underneath tragedy. It's the same shade as concrete. Let the flood swell." I will say that even though there are aspects of this release that I dislike, I can definitely understand why I've heard so much about this band based on hearing this material. The strengths far outweigh the weaknesses, and with a slightly cleaner performance and the general growth that bands go through over the years, I imagine these folks will unleash a truly powerful piece of work in the years to come. Keep your eyes peeled. aversionline.com From the liner notes: In a nutshell the concept behind the songs was to document the different points on a path to self-realization. In our interpretation of this journey, the wanderer ends up essentially in the same place that he or she began, if not humbled and even more overwhelmed. In a sense the ending is somewhat tragic, but without experiencing all of the lows how can anyone ever appreciate the amazing subtleties that this world has to offer? And so, if the search for beauty and understanding is cyclical and unending, then at least we'll never stop experiencing the thrill of the hunt... Whoa. Sounds like someone's senior philosophy seminar gone awry with the assistance of some very pure acid. The trio that is Circle Takes the Square is not for the faint of heart. This album contains no sense of humor. If you're the type of listener that can't stomach the drama of a Beethoven concerto, CTTS may not be for you. Phrases like "concrete rapture" and "sedated mythology," and words like "infinite" and "pensive" pepper each track's canonical lyrics. There are times, while listening, that I feel like I'm watching Iron Maiden perform. Seldom in this day and age do we see someone who takes their craft as seriously as CTTS does on As the Roots Undo. The album starts with a plaintive whistle in a rain shower, and then abrubtly pounds into "Same Shade as Concrete." Wait...you didn't get the idea that this was some sort of organized indie or something, did you? Oh no. This is screamo, crazy fucking screamo. The differences between this and the other screamo bands out there are many, though. It's obvious that each seemingly disorganized, dissonant chord combination and deconstructed, disheveled drumbeat are firmly and artfully orchestrated by the band. It's the most organized chaos I've ever heard. One never knows what's coming next, there is no linear pattern to the songs. It can be quite startling, and there's no doubt in my mind that CTTS wants it to be. So anyway, "Same Shade as Concrete" thunders into the whistling with declarations of the beginning of the cycle. Drew's (vocals/guitar) shredded holler mixes with Kathy's (bass/vocals) heedless shout, "Rejoice, rejoice: a noble birth, a prince is born." Ah ha. The song meanders violently through caustic drums and throat-blistering recital of complexities until it abruptly stops on a poignant, clean-tone melody. Drew repeats quietly with Kathy chiming in prettily in the background, "Wade in the water child." Suddenly, Drew kicks the petal on his melody and starts to mutter "Let the flood swell." It builds, and builds, into a gorgeous assault of everything this three-piece can hit, strum, and scream, double bass drums prattling a tense undercurrent. Then it ends. So much for the beginning of the cycle. The album continues with "Crowquill," which is one of the uglier tracks. Drew's vocals are especially gravelly, and the beat is much more persistent. The lyrics continue to be completely intelligible and overwhelmingly complicated. No verses, no chorus, just an oddyssey of philosophy. Pretty hefty stuff. Then comes the album's true turning point, and what appears to historically be the band's shining diamond. "The Nervous Light of Sunday" first showed on their demo and may have been the beginning of this entire concept album. Here, it's an apex. The track bleeds passion, twisting like an angry cat, shouting the most poignant one-liners yet, and coming back to the mantra "That's the thread that you curse, curse constantly." "An eternal patch on a quilt that hangs from a wall in a throw frought with our decay." Getting the picture yet? If "Nervous Light of Sunday" is the top of the mountain, then it should be all downhill from there, right? Wrong. This album's release was delayed for about 6 months, and I've spent enough time with it to understand that the second part of the cycle is where CTTS really starts to rip. Musically, they begin to do and conceive of things that I've never heard before. Sometimes I think I'm listening to Spinal Tap. It's so complete in it's resolve that it seems comical. But it's that kind of music that makes you want to grow your hair out, put on a tour shirt, grab a lighter and go to a show to bang your head. "Interview at the Ruins" starts with a grinding noise of mortar and pestle, and after a short intro plods straight into a Sabbath style power chord riff. After a typical wild ride, it ends with a Druidic chant of the album's title, "A murmur from the ruins echoes softly as the roots undo, and the branch becomes." "A Non-Objective Portrait of Karma" comes next, and though I'm sure if fits perfectly into the album's thesis, it would be a bit of a disappointment if it weren't for the song's opening 6 minutes (heh, it clocks in at just under 7 minutes). Slight guitar volume effects and slow cymbals give way to a sorrowful, beautiful guitar. It builds like City of Caterpillar, for almost four minutes before reaching a feverish and truly incredible minute or two of absolute thrash metal. But it somehow manages to end with a choir singing monkishly in the background. As rapt as I am whenever I get to this point in the album, the theatrics of this are a little too thick for me. As long as this review is getting, I had to save a lot of breath for "Kill the Switch." If "Nervous Light of Sunday" is the apex, this is the climax. The beginning is absolutely thunderous. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Jay is one of the best drummers I have ever heard. His beats drive so powerfully and skillfully that there's no possibility that any song can fall apart, even with the tenuous thread that connects each segment. The first minute is more amazingly good thrash-like screamcore. Then, a short, gorgeously ambient interlude drenched with light from rose windows and stares from marble scultpures, which is ripped into confetti by their instruments. Another minute later (this track is nine and a half minutes), it slows to a lull again, Drew murmering, "Life is lowly anonymity, in death a noble pose, a Marat David. Tell me who wouldn't give their lives for such a soapbox to die behind. Life is lowly, lowly anonymity. In the space of a smile I found sleep." Another build ensues, increasingly quick with drums, intense with lyrics, until Drew kicks it again and they both begin to scream over a straight 4/4 beat. Then another chaotic, seemingly disorganized segment, centered around the shout of "Somewhere out there there's a thrill I swear!" This song, unlike most of the others, shows a circularity that is a microcosm of the whole album. Lyrical stanzas are repeated, riffs are returned to. Suddenly, brilliantly, one of these returns is given an undeniable double-bass drum undercurrent as they scream "I KNOW IT'S ALL BEEN DONE BEFORE I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!" "Kill the Switch" alone is an epic journey. The album's last track, "A Crater to Cough In," is almost an eight minute afterthought, coming back to the plaintive whistle that started everything out, except this time it's played on Drew's guitar. I must admit that I rarely make it through this track, being so exhausted from the manic frenzy that is "Kill the Switch," but I'm sure it brings everything back to where it began. After all, CTTS's understanding of this "hunt" is that it's "cyclical and unending." My understanding of As the Roots Undo is that it's never been done before, and I'm not sure that it'll ever be done on this scale again. Deep Fry Bonanza Talk about thinking outside of the box. Circle Takes the Square defines music that isn't afraid to take a chance on something that may or may not work. Any band who starts off their album with whistling is a band that shows no fear when it comes to musical intrigue. I'm going to show no fear and call these guys the hardcore version of Black Eyes. The bands are similar in the way they look at musical composition, though their sounds are very different. It is only natural for some people to not be into this band. Though this an occurance with every band, it is moreso for them because of their songwriting skills. They have a male and female vocalist who both have gut wrenching screams. They also use a good amount of talking to build up tension. And, this being a hardcore styled band, there is a good amount of screaming. If you're in the mood to try out something different, this is the band. I can just imagine what future albums are going to sound like. theplaylist.net Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |