Album Review - Russian Circles

Russian Circles – Station
[Suicide Squeeze Records; 06/05/2008]

Not too far away from their crosstown rivals, Pelican, Chicago based Russian Circles sprawled to the attention of many avid post-rock lovers in 2006 with their debut outing, Enter. The album itself was a solid start from a band that had all the essentials to move down the path of a heavier sound, and with the anticipation of their sophomore, Station, some may be a little surprised with the results.

'Campaign' kicks things off with a build-up very reminiscent of fellow contemporaries Red Sparowes, but unlike the latter, this track fails to build up to a jaw breaking climax. Much of the album teases the listener in this fashion with a huff 'n'puff, piss 'n' wind mentality that really fails to capture the potential this band has. If anything, 'Versus' is a good rendition of how post-rock should be played out, but it slithers away from the point many thought Russian Circles could make through their music.

Station is an album that witnesses Russian Circles breaking down their sound into a more bona fide manner of post-rock, as apposed to the hammer and tong sounds they've previously threatened to embark upon.With a slew of bands portraying the genuine post-rock ethos, Russian Circles fail to board upon anything groundbreaking, which is disappointing as their potential hard nosed sounds would've been more welcoming at this point of time.

By Simon K