Search - Russian Circles :: Geneva

Their best work to date.

Tyler | Ontario, Canada | 10/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Russian Circles is one of my favourite bands, if not my favourite. I've listen to Enter and Station countless times, soaking in every detail I can, finding something new with every listen. I hyped Geneva to no end, and it delivers on all fronts. Heavy, brooding, and absolutely beautiful.



The first two tracks are absolutely relentless - dark, heavy, and unsettling. The album opens with a violin and a cello, fighting back and forth to play a single note, bending and twisting. Dave pounds the toms, and the song proceeds forward. The song ends the same as it began, which leads into Geneva. Absolutely massive and an incredibly dark atmosphere, Geneva is the heaviest song Russian Circles have ever written. Brian's bass work shows here, as the single best bassline in the band's history comes in about half-way through the song!



The album then takes a turn with Melee, a painstakingly beautiful song with an incredibly creative and catchy drum beat at the beginning, with Dave playing 16th notes on the rim of his snare and the bass drum thumping on syncopated beats. It's brilliant, and the song as two very distinct parts that compliment each other wonderfully. Hexed All is one the softest songs on the album, and probably the softest song they've ever written (Xavii being the other.) Simple guitar melodies and bass notes are complimented by a very simple, repeated pattern on the drums, with the accents coming in on different beats as the pattern repeats itself.



Malko is the next song on the album - an extremely aggressive track that starts with Mike's signature guitar tapping and ends in absolute chaos. A very short but destructive track.



The second-to-last song is When the Mountain Comes to Muhammed, an incredibly dark track. It's the band's first use of any type of vocals. A sample from the Oppenheimer atomic bomb tests opens the song, which sets a very creepy mood. The song builds slowly as the man in the sample awaits the bomb's detonation, and when the wave finally hits, a sudden rumbling starts in the sample, followed by an unsettling nose from the guitar, and finally a bass melody that sets the chord progression for the rest of the song. The song concludes with an unexpected use of horns, which I found to be very, very suiting.



The album ends with Philios, a track they previously released on a split with These Arms are Snakes. It's by far the most optimistic (well, the only optimistic) song on the album and features a brilliant use of strings and horns, which leads into a huge climax, which actually reminded me a lot of Red Sparowes, particularly the clean-sounding guitar strums.



Geneva is a masterpiece, and is by far the band's most compelling album. I didn't expect to be disappointed with Geneva, and I wasn't. It features the best riffs, chord progressions, drum work, and bass work in the band's career, and there's not a weak track on the entire album. I cannot wait to hear what these guys release next."

Great Release- A small let down

Ryan Smith | New Brunswick, NJ | 10/21/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've listened to Enter and Station about a thousand times each. I listen to three 'post-rock' bands- Pelican, God Speed and Circles. I'm definitely not a post-rock junkie, and don't jump at most of the other material out there. So, when it comes to these three bands- a release is major. Though I don't love every post-rock act, these three bands are very close to me and are always in my line up. Like I said, Enter and Station were phenomenal, I would rate them both 5 stars hands down. This album I got at a cd store the day before it released, and also heard it once through streaming online a month or two ago. Honestly, I was not blown away. This happened to me last year when Isis released Wavering Radiant. I was not blown away, but I gave the album its due- and have learned to love it. With Russian Circles and bands of the like, I expect to feel really intensely. The music is very emotional, and I want to be consumed by it. When this doesn't happen upon first listen, I don't freak anymore and stop listening. I keep listening because, like with Wavering Radiant, I believe there is something there. I give this album 4 stars because that one extra star is the immediate factor, when an album immediately effects me. It's already growing on me quite a lot, and I've listened a good handful of times through. Its as strong as any post-rock out there, thats for damn sure- but it doesn't hold up to earlier releases with emotionality. To me, the addition of strings and trumpets AND sound bites makes it not sound like Russian Circles. Now it sounds like God Speed. I expect bands to do what ever the feel, so the addition I am not surprised or angry with, I just don't think it suits them. It sounds like RC stepped away from their sound rather than building on it. I understand they tried a ton of new things this record, and thats awesome. I'm sure it'll only make the next one more spectacular. Before I finish- there are three highlights of the album. (I wish there was more!) 1st. Fathom. 2nd. The end of track 02 (Geneva). 3rd. The drum beat in the beginning of Malko. This beat is jaw dropping and inspires me every listen. Get the album! Get the other two also!"

This is a good one...

Brian J. Roach | Brooklyn, NY United States | 01/12/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"3rd album from Russian Circles lives up to the hype! I'd describe this band as a nice mixture of Pelican, Explosions in the Sky and Red Sparowes, leaning a bit towards the Pelican. But they explore nuance and open space in a way that Pelican doesn't do as much anymore. Three brilliant musicians, a very diverse album that takes you on a journey, what more could you ask for. If you like instrumental music, or any of the above bands, check these guys out! Fabulous..."