Album Review #17

Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise
genre: indie rock/experimental rock
released: April 20, 2010
label: Atlantic Records

Circa Survive has been around for 6 years now, and during that time, they have gathered quite the following. Their ambient, indie experimental outfit has gained them much praise and success and rightfully so. Their debut, Juturna, was a great indie rock album with heavy influences from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and House of Leaves (which is a book everyone should read). On Letting Go hit the charts and got the band signed to a major record label. Now we have the third album, Blue Sky Noise, which is an interesting release that should be sure to please fans. There is a lot to take in throughout the album and there are many different influences evident on each track.

Blue Sky Noise has it's own identity, much like Circa Survive's previous two albums. Each album has its own distinct sound, and this new album not only creates a sound of its own, but also takes the first two albums and draws influence from there as well. Anthony Green's lyrics are still great, and they fit the music beautifully. It's got a bit of a heavier, radio rock feel to it on a bunch of songs, while still maintaining it's indie-experimental rock side with ease. The first single "Get Out" is a great song that is really catchy and heavier than previous efforts. It's a good preview for what the rest of the album has in store. The album is very melodic, much like their older LPs, and Anthony Green's guitar playing has a very big role on the album, which is quite good.

Overall, I'm still not sure whether I like the new album more than the older ones. I think I'll be able to decipher that one after a few more listens, to which I am not opposed. When all is said and done, it's a new Circa Survive album, which should be enough of a reason for you buy it. This band has put out some great music before and they follow the same trend with Blue Sky Noise. Circa Survive follows suit with a lot of their peers and makes a solid record for their major label debut, that is littered with multiple songs that could ultimately be your favorite. I definitely recommend you pick up this album when it comes out, it's one of the better albums I've heard in 2010 and that fact will resonate when Blue Sky Noise hits stores and everyone is at the register buying a copy.

Favorite tracks: Get Out, I Felt Free, Spirit of the Stairwell

For fans of: Brand New, Cursive, Silversun Pickups

Circa Survive's myspace

Manchester Orchestra - Philadelphia, PA

The first time I ever heard Manchester Orchestra was when they opened up a show for Say Anything at the Theater of the Living Arts in Philadelphia back in 2007. Ever since then, I've jumped on their bandwagon and have been a big fan of their music. Their last album, Mean Everything to Nothing, was one of the best I had heard in 2009 and I got to see them open up for Brand New back in November while they were still supporting the new material. I was really happy to hear the new songs live, but the short set wasn't enough to fully appreciate their talents. Well their recent headlining performance at the Trocadero in Philadelphia was nothing short of spectacular and further cements their status as one of today's best eclectic rock bands.

Andy Hull, the band's lead singer/rhythm guitarist, sounded great live and hit all the same notes he touched on their recordings. His voice is very unique and is one that tends to stick with the listener with it's harmonic sound. The band sounded great as a whole ensemble, and they even switched positions for certain songs. At one point, Hull and the keyboard/tom-tom player switched positions, showing the band's versatility, with the overall creative process of the band being one that is contributed to by all the band members. They even switched things up with the sound of their songs too. Mean Everything to Nothing's first song "The Only One" is a fast, pop-influenced rock song that they stripped down to Hull singing and playing a light guitar track until the end of the song, where the whole band sent the crowd into a frenzy with their explosive ending.

The whole set was focused mainly on Mean Everything to Nothing, playing ten of the eleven songs on the album. I had expected more of a balance between this and I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child, which was released back in 2006, but I have no complaints with the choice of songs for their set. They ended things with the epic "Where Have You Been?", where an entire drum set was scattered on stage, with each drum being played upon by a different person. With seven different drum beats coming together, it made for one of the best experiences I have seen on stage in some time. Manchester Orchestra is that much more amazing live than they are on record, and if you're a fan, I would suggest trying to see them as soon as possible.

Setlist:
Pride
100 Dollars
In My Teeth
My Friend Marcus
Shake It Out
Wolves at Night
Rejoice (new song)
Colly Strings
I Can Feel a Hot One
I've Got Friends
Everything to Nothing
The River
The Only One
Where Have You Been?