Station - Dark Publications

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Similar Items:

•	Enter
•	Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun
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•	Young Mountain

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Metal trimmings, minimal jazz primers, and cryptic riffs that hit out of nowhere with the pummeling impact of a comet. Their music weaves up an intense and cinematic albeit soothing clobbering that cannot be pigeonholed. Their lumbering layers of chiseled post rock and feathery psychedelic infusions have both revved and enticed listeners into mental orgasms the world over. They've shared stages with Tool, Dalek, Daughters, and Pelican. Catch them on tour beginning in late May.

Album Description
Russian Circles is a three piece instrumental rock/metal band from Chicago. Similar to fellow Chicago residents Pelican, Russian Circles play epic, sprawling music which runs the gamut of heavy discordant metal, to soft delicate passages. They are known for their energetic live shows, which include tours with Minus the Bear, Chin Up Chin Up, Mono, and Pelican as well as an appearance at the 2006 SXSW. They were also the opening band for Tool while playing in the United Kingdom for their 2007 tour.

Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Much Needed Youngblood May 25, 2008
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

I just found out about these guys recently and I have to commend them on their musicianship and decision to do instrumental music. They are free from catering to some growling or shrilling vocalist who would undoubtedly wreck this music with bad themes and worse singing. It is about time some bands come forth that are committed to music only. I have been waiting for decades for a band like this to come along. They blend together all the good elements of heavy metal, progressive rock and psychedelia without the disruption of some wailing idiot trying to add his / her 2 cents. In the case of Russian Cirles the music is always headed somewhere and very vibrant. Many of the musical passages they have composed would not have come to be most likely if they were trying to fit in a vocalist. This is exiting and hopefully they don't rethink their formula or be forced to by the short attention span of most music buyers.

From the start of Station you can tell the musicianship is top notch and it is a surprise when you realise they get all this sound as a 3 piece. The guitarist has great taste and a unique way of playing with two hands on the fretboard at times. This gives the illusion of a fourth player and is very well executed, no overkill and all substance. The percussionist is noteably top rate and creative as is the bassist.

Hopefully this form of music will spawn future rock musicians to explore what they can accomplish with instruments only. Russian Cirles will hopefully be looked at one day as pioneers of instrumental rock music and be able to continue their craft in the present. The few bands at the helm of this new territory are critical to pushing rock music forward. One of the key ingredients is that the musicianship is great but not by the amount of notes per second rule that used to apply. This music is about sound, emotion and creativity and has far more impact than the million notes approach. If you like this type of thing other bands to keep an eye on are Red Sparowes , Explosions in the Sky, Grails and Pelican. Hopefully there will be more to come.

Great record guys ! Buy it!

5 out of 5 stars

Coming Full Circle May 12, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Went to the record release show recently and heard most of the songs live. I am very happy to report the new material is just as amazing coming from the studio. I very much enjoyed their debut, Enter, but this is much more polished and makes tons of sense musically. Its a little Pelican mixed with some Explosions in the Sky and its all Russian Circles!! What sets them apart from the rest of the Instra-Metal bands is Dave's absolutely incredible drum work. Station is no exception to his complete mastery of the instrument. If you are a fan of Pelican, Explosions in the Sky, Isis, Mono, and it goes without saying that if you are a Russian Circles fan, you must own Station. Mike and Dave, outstanding work!!

5 out of 5 stars

This Band is Amazing May 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Being a massive fan of "Enter", I couldn't wait to hear this album, and I was not let down. This band keeps getting better.

Russian Circles create atmospheric music that takes the listener on a ride through highs and lows, going from light to heavy, break neck paces to trudging riffs.

"Station" is one of the best albums of the year so far, definetely pick this one up.

5 out of 5 stars

MAGNIFICENT May 16, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful

My gawd, how do these guys do it? Simply amazing album, I been spinning this album since the day it was released. Russian Circles are definitely now my top post-rock band. I hope they play here in Colorado some time. Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars

Enter was no fluke. May 8, 2008
With such an amazing debut album, I was pretty curious to see if Russian Circles could follow up their masterpiece "Enter," one of my favourite albums of the genre. Did they deliver again with Station? Yes. Absolutely.

The album opens with the beautiful "Campaign" with a ligth guitar melody and light guitar feedback in the background. Overall it's a fantastic opening track that really sets the mood for the album.

"Campaign" is followed by "Harper Lewis." Featuring one of the catchiest and coolest drum beats I've ever heard, Harper Lewis really and truly shows Russian Circles' diversity. The song is, for the most part, quite heavy and always in your face. More catchy and awesome guitar riffs all around and a perfect lead-in to the title track...

"Station." Ahh...A truly fantastic song worthy of being a title track. By far one of the strongest tracks on the album. Another heavy song, but this time it ends really quite tastefully (not that anything Russian Circles does isn't tasteful no matter how heavy.) Awesome.

Verses is a sort of Explosions in the Sky-esque, dare-I-say post-rock-influenced song. I use that term lightly because Russian Circles doesn't let the blanket of usual post-rock song structure and style of playing overshadow their amazing song-writing and musicianship skills. No, Russian Circles brings to the table what they brought with "You Already Did" from their previous album: a beautiful and totally unique track. When you hear the song, you'll know it's Russian Circles.

Youngblood is next. I'd let the song speak for itself if I absolutely knew you'd listen to this album (which you better!) Youngblood is a mammoth of a song. A behemoth. Youngblood plows through you with little to no mercy. It hardly holds up even once and when the softer part comes in, you're almost sure what's to come: total chaos. The finale of Youngblood will leave you breathless and begging for more (excuse the sexual reference here.) Definitely the most powerful and exhilarating track on the album.

Ah...Xavii. What a beautiful conclusion to a stunning album. Think of Youngblood as middle of a massive tornado. With Xavii, the storm is over and you're left to look at yourself and the damage it's caused. It's a fairly light and easy-going track until the minor key switches in and Dave starts beating on the toms. Clean, yet mean guitars kick in and there's a light build-up until you think it's the end of the song and it kicks in once again and finally ends abruptly.

So yes, Station delivers. It sets the bar even higher than Enter did (yeah, I said it) and leaves you wanting even more Russian Circles. If you liked the first album than I assume you've already bought Station or plan on buying it soon. If not, do so immediately.

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