Artist: Russian Circles
Album: Station
Label: Suicide Squeeze
Year: 2008
Rating: 3/5
There’s a big market for this kind of music at the moment. Planet sized riffs, hypnotic rhythms and epic walls of sound – all terms that journalists love, all very clichéd, but all very apt when writing about the likes of Pelican [find me a review of an Instrumental/ Post-Metal/ Experimental band which doesn’t reference them and I’ll buy you a drink], Bossk and 5ive, to name a few, and Russian Circles are no different in that respect.
‘Station’ by Russian Circles is every bit as fantastic as anything by their peers. It’s dripping with originality, full of thrilling and unpredictable intricacies and produced with enough balls to set itself high above the rest of many bands doing something similar. The problem with many Post-Rock bands is that they’re all very flat, but Russian Circles manage to steer clear from relying on repetition and shooting their creative loads on over manipulation, in favour of writing wonderfully layered, slick and precise songs. Take ‘Harper Lewis’ for example, where Russian Circles successfully embrace the core bass-heavy backbone of Post-Rock and then smash through the boundaries by carefully cutting the song with chugging riffs, enchanting melodies and plenty of bottom end acrobatics.
The title track ‘Station’ is the obligatory “we’re not a one trick pony” song as they hit you right between the eyes with a galloping Viking Metal-esque riff, but here lays a problem; instrumental bands are stubborn and this song is crying out for some throaty vocals to compliment it. This album doesn’t quite touch perfection, but is well worthy of a listen for those who are tired of the usual Post Rock fodder.
- David Houssein
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