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 Holy shit, this cd is the most amazing thing I have ever heard. Ever. Go buy it, now. There's really not a lot to say about "As the Roots Undo" except how great it is. If you're already a fan of CTTS, pick it up. If you're not, pick it up anyway, it'll blow you away. And if you don't believe me, go download "Non-Objective Portrait of Karma" and listen to it. And if you can honestly say you don't like it, I don't know what's wrong with you. Brad / Interpunk.com "Rejoice, rejoice a noble birth!" are the first words spoken before a clamorous avalanche of schizophrenic drums and guitars surrounds the familiar pseudo-call and response singing style of Circle takes the square. As the roots undo seems fitting for a CD that oscillates from tangled cacophonies to deconstructed, naked melodies and sounds. As the roots undo is a wonderfully abrasive collection of lengthy ballads both complex and direct. The first two tracks sound like the Circle we know; quick and sporadic but with a bit more experimentation. Similarly the remake of “In the nervous light of Sunday” is punchier and more condensed that the original. This release really gets going after the aforementioned trip down memory lane with the beautiful lull of “Interview at the ruins.” The atmospheric song is a wave of bent and soft tones moving over a constant sample of sifting stones. The next track “Non-objective portrait of karma” is an epic that crescendos from a 80s sci-fi sound to a potent cluttered rock masterpiece lyrically and sonically. “Kill the switch” is classic stop and go searing indie intensity expanded into a poetic exercise almost ten minutes long. The last track “A crater to cough in” is another remarkable track dominated by a beautiful refrain hummed in the CD's opening seconds. As the roots undo is a outstanding full length that is a testimony to Circle takes the square's fluidic but jarring musical moments. There is a blossomed intensity and wonder here that was in utero within previous releases. Buy and adore. Ben Woodard / punkhardcore.com Nothing is more excellent than when a fairly unknown semi decent band out of nowhere transitions into a butterfly etched in silk and razor wire. What does this all mean? Let's jump back a few years, more in particular, when Circle Takes The Square released their original album, which strangely happened to be a demo. The concept of releasing a demo as your first piece of recorded music is far beyond my intellectual prowess, but grasp tightly to this far fetched reality, for one of the best albums of 2003 is about to be explained. Soon after its release, the demo was remastered and put out on CD format under a just created label Hyperrealist. This album was definitely screamo influenced, but went back to the roots of this recently formed genre and embraced being loud and hard. While embodying this wretchedly raw sound, they were still able to have parts of melody and beauty. The dual of male and female vocals added another unique link to the chain of sound. In short, the foundation for a good band was there, but the structure itself was short of great. Within a few songs this smashed every expectation I had set from listening to their previous effort. Although the lack of a hip hop song was sorely missed, Trigga and Quick will always be remembered. The epic level went from near nil to that of fantasy pilgrims or . I was also amazed by the fact that they could create such a full sound with only drums, guitar and bass, which reminded me of Majority Rule. As The Roots Undo definitely doesn't fit in one genre, a new one would have to be created for it, post screamo perhaps. "Intro", the first track, lures you in with a softly hummed melody which is soon ruptured by the following track, "Same Shade As Concrete", with a volley of words and sounds. This song displays one of the best assets on this album, which is the ability to subtly drop into a near silent breakdown. Similar to City Of Caterpillar, there begins a progress build back into and beyond the volume and ferocity of what was before. The seventh and longest track, "Kill The Switch", comes close to being a whole ten minutes long. Any song that can hold your attention for that long is an achievement, especially for music this hard. "As The Roots Undo" is just as epic lyrically as the music. At times these written words are similar to those of Saetia, but the way they are crafted to tell a story creates a nice diversion from the vivid imagery. Lines like, "My genes didn't bless me with the foresight of a sage, but I know how this will end, in apologies and ink on the page", add visuals to the already dynamic filled sound. The lyrics are set up in a way where you can just take them as they are, and it will be great, or you can look much deeper to find more meaning. Double bass can ruin the sound of a band, especially when there are tons of stupid double kick fills. Circle Takes The Square is able to use the double bass effectively with no cheese and metal stomping, especially in the sense of adding heaviness to certain key epic parts. It's also interesting, because nearly all the bands of this 'style' use single bass. The vocals go through a few different types of deliveries, keeping the sound from sounding too flat. Yes, there is screaming, but there are also harmonizing singing parts, whispers, and even singing that is reminiscent of Bright Eyes. Potential sleeper hit of 2003, but if it keeps getting pushed back, best album yet of 2004. Rating: 9.5 / 10 Zed / Scene Point Blank As I write this review, the actual release of this record has been delayed and delayed so I can't comment on the amazing layout this will most likely have (if the ridiculously cool layout just for the demo was any indication). Anyways, I want to tell a tiny story. The first time I heard this band was when an old band of mine played with them at a house in New Jersey. They went on right before us, and I figured I'd give this touring band with the silly name a shot. They proceeded to make the most noise I'd ever heard come out of three human beings. It was tight but sloppy where it had to be, a perfect mess and beautiful and completely, heartbreakingly human. When they were done I felt like there was a new standard our set had to live up to. That's what this record is: a new standard for this genre. It takes all the potential their demo/EP had and carries it to its fullest extent. They take "screamo" to an entirely new level. This actually feels like an ALBUM, and not just a collection of songs. Each track blends seamlessly into the next and creates a mood of tension and urgency throughout the whole thing. They don't have to play fast and heavy all the time to make their message heard. The softer, building parts have such intensity behind them. My only complaint might be that the softer instrumental parts go on for a bit too long sometimes, but it's a very minor fault I can deal with. Amazing music, extremely well-written lyrics, and vocals that sound like the throat they're coming from could fall apart at any second makes for the most exciting release from this label or genre I've heard in a long time. I can't wait to see where they go from here. Joe Decarolis / Abinka One of the weirdest hardcore bands I've ran into lately is Circle Takes the Square. I wouldn't go as far as to call them geniuses, but they do have an edge I hadn't heard before. Imagine multi-layered, multi-rhythmic, frenzied hardcore with evil black metal vocals, clean singing, spoken parts, weird guitar tricks and noise parts. Or as an analogy, think of Dillinger Escape Plan doing black metal whilst on acid. _As the Roots Undo_ is without doubt my favourite noisecore album of the year, giving the buyer good value for their money with songs clocking around six to eight minutes (total running time of 44 minutes) and excellent off-beat artwork -- hopefully they'll include the lyrics in the booklet. Instead of rambling on about this album, I can only urge you to go out and buy it as soon as it hits the shelves -- unless you lack a sense of humor and like your music to be linear. If you want to be on the safe side, there's an MP3 of the album on their website. 9.5 / 10 Xander / Chronicles of Chaos Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |