Meronia

Even though John Peel raved about Circle years before the release of Meronia, their first indie EPs stayed underground. And even though this is a harsh, 75-minute heavy load of Krautrock, it brings Circle more toward popularity. And when thinking about the content of the album, they sure have earned it. Krautrock and hypnotism are old genres, but Circle has brought it to a whole new level. Their punkish past shows easily through, so that gains another new level which can be heard as heavy guitar walls and complex basslines. Also, the simplified drum sound and the patiently used keyboards add something to Circle's sound that is raw, but yet quite hard to copy. If you ignore the two noise rock tracks here ("Merid" and "Wherever Particular People Congregate"), the base line of Circle's music is clear: one guitar riff, which is played with only slight changes during the whole song. And believe it or not, it works. Lehtisalo's Gregorian singing and moaning guitars make Meronia a really moving album. And luckily the music of Circle doesn't concentrate to a one player; the band as a whole depends on the each other member. Sure, you can call some lacks in dynamic playing and the whole sound, but, after all, losses make albums more individualistic. Meronia is an outstanding debut album, but even more it is an unvaluated indie rock milestone. ~ Antti J. Ravelin, Rovi