OFF: Circle Discography

[Stephan Forstner]

Here's a quick rundown of Circle's discography to hopefully answer some
previous questions and give my own opinions on the releases which may differ
from others already expressed. For much more in-depth info go to
http://www.aural-innovations.com, and there's bound to be further differing
opinions here as well, so post 'em if you got 'em.

The main and only continuous member is Jussi Lehtisalo, who also leads
Ektroverde and Pharoah Overlord as well as running the Ektro label. I
believe he did most of the vocals prior to Prospekt, and they are very
different from M Ratto's current style (more below). Circle's main mode is
repetitive, hypnotic, mostly instrumental pieces, with krautrock being the
main influence (also some prog and art-rock) but with lots of other
ingredients mixed in at various times and with some albums tending to lean
toward a certain genre. So while the underlying idea remains more or less
constant, each album ends up sounding pretty different from the previous
one, as well as usually sounding pretty much unlike any other bands in
whatever genre they are approximating this time round.

Kollekt (compilation of material from 91-94, released in 98)
A compilation of their earliest singles, EPs, and some alternate takes of
tracks from their 1st full-length (Meronia). The earlier pieces have a metal
and slightly punk sound to them, and some of the songs have an experimental
edge too. Heavy riffing guitars and rock percussion provide the momentum -
half the tracks have vocals which are like Gregorian chanting but in
Meronian (made-up language) or maybe Finnish - they are embedded in the mix,
not on top of it. Slightly rough but the elements are all in place and you
can hear where they'll be going - once you have the other discs you'll want
this.

Meronia (94)
The overall sound here is similar to the earlier material but a bit more
restrained and much more 'produced' - the main instrument here is still
guitars, with most of the tracks based around a riff that may change
slightly during the song, but now there is a denser, more constructed sound,
with added keyboards, synths and occasionally violin. Vocals appear on most
of the tracks and are again Meronian chanting buried in the mix and so
sounding like another instrument. I think this one sounds a bit like a
harder-edged Loop or a less-mechanical Godflesh with the occasional prog or
experimental touch. An excellent album and recommended if you're not
allergic to a slight industrial tinge to your music.

Zopalki (96)
Very varied in its approach but holds together perfectly, I consider this to
be their most overtly kraut album. Some of the tracks have the more
industrial guitar-riff sound of Meronia, some are more melodic and have a
lighter feel, with the repetition supplied by picked guitar patterns that
have an echoed acoustic sound, some are  again experimental, some have an
ambient-ish feel, synths are a bit more prominent this time around, there is
even something like a song on here, co-written by M Ratto, maybe his first
appearance in the Circle universe. Vocals are still Meronian chants in the
mix. I rate this as the band's first masterpiece.

Surface (live 96, released in 98)
split CD with Marble Sheep - Marble Zone 2
A great live set with very good sound, including material from the 1st 2
full-lengths, 2 tracks that would appear on the next release, and 2 that are
unique to this release. Very slight quibble being that although the energy
and drive are clearly here you might miss some of the subtlety and
complexity present in the studio versions. But then thats probably true of
many if not most live albums. And it also has some great Marble Sheep pieces
including an 18 minute demo track that is one of my favorite bits of
completely stoned blanga from those guys.

Hissi (96)
A big departure from the arc of their previous work, here most of the
repetition is provided by synths and drums as the main instruments. There
are almost no riffs and much less guitar overall. Also, up until now the
percussion has been fairly rock-ish; for the first time now several tracks
are using odd jazzy off-kilter rhythms. No real vocals though occasionally
voices are used as an effect. Some of this material has similarities to some
of the ambient / experimental work that was being produced as the
side-projects of many industrial acts in the early 90s, and occasionally
some of the rhythmic synth repetition puts it into sort of trance territory.
It has a more 'open' sound than previously. There is 1 more rock-ish piece
on here that could have been called "Hash Cake 96".

Fraten (97)
Again almost no guitar riffs. The repetitive hypnotism is this time almost
entirely provided by the rhythm section. This album has an even more 'open'
feel than Hissi, much more so when compared to the wall of sound on the
earlier albums, and is pretty mellow overall. All the other instruments
provide licks and accents over the top. Almost all instrumentals but there
are wordless vocals on some tracks. Most of this sounds kind of like
'typical' post-rock. The more jazzy and off-kilter rhythms now predominate.
Not my favorite album though some tracks do stand out.

Pori (98)
Another album with a very varied approach that holds together perfectly. The
riff-o-rama is back on a few pieces, some tracks are dense, some more open,
there are some ambient sound construction bits that include opera singers
(which I believe were recorded inside a church), some of the rhythms are
like the older rock approach and some are like those used on Fraten, with
some odd time signatures. In effect, various tracks sound like they would
fit right in on various previous albums, but they all work together very
well here. There are a few tracks with vocals in the Meronian chanting
style. I rate this as their second masterpiece.

Andexelt (99)
Many of the tracks have a sound a bit like Fraten but often much more
aggressive and with somewhat denser sound. The jazzy rhythms have completely
taken over, seemingly to stay. But heavy guitar riffs occassionally appear
to great effect, as on the opening and closing tracks, though other tracks
have no guitar at all but rather ambient-ish synths and keyboards over the
percussion. Almost no vocals anywhere. I've seen it described as King
Crimson meets krautrock.

Prospekt (00)
A heavy dense layered sound that hearkens back to Meronia, but is much more
organic. The rhythms are still non-straightforward but you don't notice them
as much with everything else that is going on. Vocals now by M Ratto,
probably for the 1st time, on half the tracks, but used sparingly, and only
really noticeable on the opener. I hear this as being the most space-rock of
all their albums and its probably my favorite. The third masterpiece.

Taantumus (01)
Another one collecting tracks with widely varied sound and approach, and the
first album that sounds to me a bit more like a collection of individual
pieces and less like a monolithic unit. Vocals are a bit more prominent and
Ratto is doing most of them, though if you listen to the vox on the 1st
track, they sound very much like the Meronian chanting that was pretty much
the style of all the pre-Prospekt vocals. Another excellent album, I would
have rated it the fourth masterpiece if it were a tiny bit more cohesive.

Raunio (01)
Live in 2001, mostly good sound and great performance, with the odd
noisiness on one long track that is kind of jarring and doesn't quite fit in
with the rest of the set. Whats noticeable here is the return of more
rock-ish beats on some new material, and now Ratto is doing vocals on most
of the tracks. This should be easy to find because its been reissued by the
Squealer label.

Sunrise (02)
All their previous releases have been very 'serious', this is the first one
that could be considered to be sort of 'fun'. Ratto sings on most of the
tracks, many of which are structured more like songs than anything
previously, and there are more vocals here than on any 3 previous discs.
Theres a strong Judas Priest ca 79 flavor to some of the riffs and vocals,
especially in the lead-off track, but  then about 2/3 of the way thru that
track it suddenly goes all "Hall of the Mountain Grill" (the HW album) with
layers of synths and effected guitars over the riffs. The metal stuff is
interspersed with acoustic numbers, one of which is a quirky little piece
that sounds like it came from Ratto's other band Moon Fog Prophet, the rest
of which are more long hypnotic pieces, the album closer "Lokki" being
practically "Opa-Loka 2002". Not a bad place to start but not likely to give
you an accurate picture of their previous output.

Alotus (03), according to PsychotropicZone (thanks Miikka), though not yet
out, was apparently recorded before Sunrise and has more of the older
serious style. I look forward to hearing it.

In retrospect, probably the most consistently great group of the 90's, and
probably my favorite band of that decade. And they show no signs of burning
out or slowing down or wimping out.

Stephan