Tower

Call 'em pranksters, call 'em tricksters, it seems that Circle will get you every time. Each new album brings a new enigma, a new change in direction, a new challenge for the listener. Not that the music is necessarily difficult — it is actually pretty accessible in this particular case — but it requires adaptation. So, Circle fans, please adapt as these representatives of the New Wave of the New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal (NWONWOFHM, as it says on the disc label) turn...fusion?!? Yep, Tower is all about multiple electric pianos and delicate acoustic drumming. The grooves occupy an area somewhere between In a Silent Way-era Miles Davis and Millions Now Living Will Never Die-era Tortoise. The music is beautiful in its own way, without resorting to actual melodies. Unintrusive, it can easily float by without you noticing it, but do pay attention, as there is plenty of detail to study: the intertwining drum sets (two drummers), the synthesizer effects buried beneath the Wurlitzers, the occasional foray into free improv before everyone gathers back around the groove. The last of the six untitled tracks is noteworthy in that regard: somewhat darker in feel, it strays away from the basic theme in a marvelously chaotic way, and chaos rarely feels so lulling. That track is the closest Circle get to Necks territory — repetitive yet ever-changing, soothing, and blissed-out. The album packaging offers no information on the band's lineup here, but frequent collaborator Mika Rintala (aka Verde) is billed as recording and mixing engineer, and gets a "guest star" credit, although the nature of his musical contribution is left to your own judgment. This album is definitely worth a listen, especially for fans of the Necks or the jazzier side of post-rock, but please don't fall for the "heavy metal" trap. ~ François Couture, Rovi