Circle - Arkades (2007)
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Circle - Arkades
Label: Fourth Dimension Records
Release Date: 2007 (Original LP release: 2006)
[CENSORED]ue #: FD2CD71 (Original LP release: FDLP67)
Circle on the web --->>> http://www.circlefinland.com/
Tracklist;
CD1 - Rebel Platter
1. The Greatest Kingdom (23:24)
2. The Ghost Of The Highway (21:28)
CD2 - Bullet Platter
1. Maltan Haukka (14:33)
2. Ibizan Rambo (10:33)
3. Puutiikeri (16:32)
Rebel platter recorded two-track Live
September 17, 2005 (during their US tour)
at WFMU in Jersey City, NJ.
(Airdate - September 27, 2005)
Bullet platter recorded two-track Live
March 29, 2005 at Klubi, Tampere, Finland
Musicians/Performers
Bass, Vocals - Jussi Lehtisalo
Drums - Tomi Leppänen
Guitar, Vocals - Janne Westerlund
Mastered By - Erko-Kissa
Other [Liner Notes] - Brian Turner
Percussion - Janne Tuomi (tracks: CD2)
Tape, Effects, Engineer - Tuomas Laurila
Vocals, Keyboards - Mika Rättö
Simply put, Circle is the most internationally visible, prolific exponent of the outstanding yet
criminally obscure Finnish underground. Formed in 1991 in the bucolic coastal city of Pori, the
group constantly reinvents, expands upon and refines its hypnotically repetitive, instantly
recognizable meld of megaton riffs, Teutonic rhythms, surging fuzz storms, icy synth drones and
hymnal, delicate vocals. The band's sharp technical prowess, revolving stylistic obsessions,
unstable lineup and berserker live shows have delighted, pissed off and dazzled a growing cult of
international thrill-seekers. Led by guitarist-turned-bassist Jussi Lehtisalo, Circle has adapted
and personalized bits of progressive rock, metal, ambient, punk, noise and psychedelia without ever
seeming derivative, dilettantish or corny. At the end of the '90s, Circle alumni Ahtiainen and
Hagner reconvened with their former soundman and engineer Jussi Saivo (also of Tiermes) as the
studio band Ovalki.
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Reviews/Info...
From --->>> http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/2877
Documenting a September 2005 performance for the venerable New Jersey radio station WFMU, Arkades
is quite Finnish and heavy, but not remotely metal. Imbued with foreboding synths, low-volume
six-string buzzes and chants both giddy and demented, the record convincingly captures the dark,
free-psych quirks of Circle's personality (cf. 2003's Guillotine, 2004's Forest, and various
limited-edition live LPs). The quartet conducts a dread-filled aural séance over the course of two
sidelong sci-fi-meets-satanic-raga improvisations. Demonic, downer motifs swirl around drummer Tomi
Leppänen, who shelves his usual big-ass beats in favor of reserved, marvelously disciplined
Indian-jazz percussion. Soundman and auxiliary member Tuomas Laurila integrates himself into the
lineup, skillfully adding and subtracting disquieting tape loops and churning effects. The
concluding "Ghost of the Highway" is notable for containing one of the most freakish and harrowing
moments in Circle's entire canon: A mournful, snake-charmer riff ushers in an insane screaming match
between keyboardist Mika Rättö and guitarist Janne Westerlund, whose converging, tormented moans
evoke the asylum-bound babbling of troubled souls who have lost all touch with reality.
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From --->>> http://www.clevescene.com/2007-09-12/music/risky-business
Text from a recent interview with Cleveland Scene magazine...
Risky Business
Circle's new disc evokes Michael Mann and the cocaine '80s.
By Phil Freeman
Published: September 12, 2007
"The difference is that we regard ourselves as amateurs and draw influence from avant-garde and
experimental music," explains bassist and group leader Jussi Lehtisalo. "In Finland, we are a
15-year-old relic that the older people don't remember and the younger people don't know -- except
for a fistful of enthusiastic fans. Nowadays we are maybe best received in the U.K. and U.S.A., for
which we are very grateful. I think this is a very good era for Circle."
Indeed, the band has become quite a hip name check in the last few years. Circle's latest disc,
Katapult, is just one of six planned for 2007. Overall, the band's online discography displays a
whopping 28 CD covers, and some of those releases come in multiple editions with different track
listings.
Circle's name is an apt one. Its compositions frequently cycle a single riff for minutes at a time
while the drums tick along, adapting the mechanical motorik rhythm pioneered by '70s krautrock bands
like Neu! But the music isn't just about inducing trance. Circle frequently combines that hypnotic
repetition with manic energy. "Nopekunigas," which opens 2002's Sunrise, feels like an unholy
marriage between Can and Judas Priest. Then there's "Fish Reflection," off Katapult, which crunches
like vintage Nuge.
"Sunrise was our first album that was strongly influenced by classic hard rock," says Lehtisalo.
"The same influences can be heard on Katapult too, only we have drifted more towards dark rock or
something."
Katapult is a weird record, even by Circle standards. The recurring riffs and psychedelic ballads
are present, but some of the songs ("Black Black Never Never Land" and "Fish Reflection" in
particular) herk 'n' jerk about.
One element that really leaps out is their primitive analog synth lines, suggesting the influence
of early '80s electronic music, specifically Tangerine Dream's soundtracks to movies like Risky
Business and Thief. This is most evident on the album's best track, "Four Points of the Compass," a
total droner that makes you feel as if you're in a Michael Mann movie -- unshaven, stoic, and with
sunglasses on, driving a Ferrari down a rain-slicked highway at midnight.
But according to Lehtisalo, that wasn't the impetus behind it at all. "The piece was originally
composed for our lead vocalist Mika Rättö's stage play of the same title. It was a dark-humored
drama with a little occultist twist, and we figured it would fit nicely in Katapult's concept."
Though Katapult occasionally sounds slicker than previous Circle albums, it was produced in a dirty
style. "Katapult was made with my little mobile home studio," explains engineer and live soundman
Tuomas Laurila. "We had a few different sessions during almost a year, which is quite long by our
standards. Usually it takes less than a month to make a Circle album, but that doesn't really mean
30 studio days. I guess 5 to 10 studio days per album is the average."
Not only does Circle work fast, the group's not at all picky about technology. "We've used
practically anything from cheap tape recorders' built-in mics to high-class music studios with
highly skilled engineers," says Laurila. "The same goes for the actual recording: The methods vary a
lot. For instance, [2006's] Arkades was recorded in a few hours on two tracks -- the band playing
live, and me adding some background sounds from CDs and mixing real-time. So it was like a live
setup without an audience. [2005's] Tulikoira was recorded by Jani Viitanen in his studio, starting
from drums and bass played with click track, and then adding guitars and vocals and machine loops
etc. -- just like the professionals do it."
"We like to trust our original ideas and not to whet all the edges blunt," adds Lehtisalo. "That's
why we can finish our albums relatively quickly and move on to the next one. In my opinion, the
artist is the gate between 'the other side' and this world. It is not an artist's job to analyze or
rationalize. Science needs explanations; art does not."
This primitivist, almost jam-band mind-set makes Circle's live shows much more raw than the albums.
In Lehtisalo's words, "We don't rehearse that much. Us playing live is comparable to a bear that
wakes up after a long winter and steps out of the cave, and starts remembering what he should do."
Laurila is not only the live engineer; he plays a musical role during performances. He adds
prepared sounds from effects CDs to shape the band's sets. "It's very interesting how I can change
the atmosphere," he says. "It adds a whole new layer to the music. But what kind of layer, that's
always a surprise. Using the CDs is really trial and error most of the time.
"I think we all are very fond of the idea of adapting our music to the circumstances," he
continues. "We believe that the sound comes from our fingers, not from the equipment. And I know
some of our most ecstatic live performances have happened in very unexpected situations with quite
scarce gear. Sometimes, of course, I feel that I've failed to make the band sound 'right,' but the
other guys never believe it. Or they think that failing is just natural and interesting. I think
Jussi put it really well in some earlier interview: 'We are quite an OK live act, but truly
erratic.'"
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From --->>> https://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm?Item=127664&
Arkades catches a session Finnish group, CIRCLE, recorded exclusively for WFMU during their US
tour, September 19, 2005. Comprising two lengthy pieces taking up a side each, "The Greatest
Kingdom" and "The Ghost of the Highway," the record focuses on the band's often spacy improv
underpinning and applies new meaning to a vision which strides powerfully over the line dividing
apocalyptic dread from a semblance of hope. Agonized wailing, screams and torrents of molten sound
dance ghostly shapes over psychedelic keyboard patterns, distant clattering, moonlit guitars and a
rhythm section so carefully tempered that it's impossible not to feel the chemistry at work. Coupled
to a fantastic sleeve which illustrates a homage to spaghetti western films and includes fitting
notes by WFMU's Program Director, BRIAN TURNER, Arkades proves what these New Wave of Finnish Heavy
Metallers are capable of when they leave most of the rock at the door. File somewhere near Acid
Mothers Temple after having been given the kinda makeover only the Scandinavians have the formula
for. Indeed, this is sweet shit.
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From --->>> http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue37/circle-arkades.htm
From Aural Innovations #37 (Sep 2007)
This is the re-release of the previous vinyl only release of Circle
