Circle (the Finnish band): S/D

Yeah, I got their CDr through a couple of months back. I've only had a chance for a couple of listens, but it's good stuff. I second that it's worth checking out.

Amazing looking show at Dunajam 2012 on the sun-kissed beaches of Sardinia earlier this month... definitely worth checking out the last video of the playlist...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78DRUjtDOxE&list=PL221D8B6799719340&index=1&feature=plpp_video

anyone else hear hisko detria? it's not like there's a lack of circle material out there but this scratched the same itch nicely for me:
http://hiskodetria.bandcamp.com/

Yeah, there was some talk about that in another thread, can't remember whether it was the 2012 spacerock one or the bandcamp one, but I love it.

Dunajam youtube vids rule! Jussi's costume... Fuck. The end was beautiful. Much belated email sent, Krakow, thanks and sorry!

Circle 'Forest' LP on Full Contact is out now! My copies arrived today for those in the UK...

http://www.nwofhm.com/images/records/circle_forest_lp_cover.jpg

This album was originally released in 2004 on CD by Ektro and No Quarter. This is its first appearance on vinyl. Black vinyl, 500 copies.

Got your email liam, thanks! Hoping to have a chance to reply this weekend...

Delighted I found this forum.

Welcome!

Gosh, sorry liam, I'm still WAY behind.

I went to the store looking for Forest (didn't find it) but I did find a used copy of the Saturnus Reality dvd, for which I paid a modest $7. I don't really know what to expect other than 98 min of Circle.

Don't worry Krakow, no rush! Unless you find a copy of Noiduttu that is ha!

Saturnus Reality is indeed 98 minutes of Circle... goofing off in a cabin in the woods!

Big Circle fan but to paraphrase Woody Allen: "If I had to live my life again, I'd do everything the same, except that I wouldn't see Saturnus Reality."

Oh no!

B-b-but it's the Finnegans Wake of Finnish rock docs

Call the Cops and loves laboured breathing... both of those are great quotes! Can I use them on NWOFHM! to 'advertise' Saturnus Reality, please?

I'm about to watch this in 15 min increments, pausing for frequent status checks as to whether or not I'm regretting it.

Not regretting it at all so far, a few thoughts because why not:

-- love the electric orange baby bottle eye
-- Christmas tree discussion was typical for Finnish people in general or no?
-- love the sun through the trees, lots of pretty things to look at
-- shiny and dull in all the right places

* caveat, i love things that are extremely banal, including but not limited to frederick wiseman movies, dry history books with excruciating details about normal life during different eras, found items and sentimental crap that winds up in thrift stores, shit like that

it has been worth my $7 already. can't imagine the rest being a full out assault on my sensibilities.

A wee clip from Circle's performance at Jättömaa 2012 this weekend just gone...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR-LUCJHEdA

xp

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h279/juicyfrt/finneganswakeoffinnishrockdocs.jpg

I rather like SR myself although it took a bit to grow on me. It's worth a second and perhaps even a third look IMO. If nothing else the soundtrack, especially towards the end when it all gets dreamy and nostalgic, is very nice indeed.

I finnish friend who turned me on to Circle told me never to watch either Saturnus Reality or Man With a Video Camera... I wondered if that was just his personal taste but reading the above I can perhaps see why!! Not sure I'd like to have any insight into the band whatsoever, so as to be able to take the music at face value and not have anything else colour that. Also it's a help that I havn't a notion about any of the lyrics, my finnish friend again told me they are, for the most part, total nonsense!! (He did translate Laake for one time we were listening to Rautatie and it actually did give me a further appreciation of that song, the picture of a spilt bottle of pills on the youtube vid for the song is quite apt!)

How do people feel about Manner??? Only got it last week and I've literally listened to nothing else this week except it and Lunar Jetman (which is also phenomenal, didn't expect much since I hated Out of the Darkness)

I think New Fantasy will become a "Circle classic"(a la Nopeuskuningas), such a fantastically written track. I was unsure after Infektio if Circle would return to that perfect NWOFHM/psychedilic mix on Rautatie, and so delighted they are still evolving it!

Frug, you're prob right, it's better to get to know them through the music, the mystery is half the fun! But once you do Saturnus Reality is an interesting insight into how they operate and how much playful humor and joy actually goes into this seemingly very serious and heavy music. I too like not knowing the words, it's why I mostly listen to foreign stuff in general in fact. Then they can be about anything!

Haven't heard Manner yet because I don't have a record player! Fuck! I borrow one from a friend to rip things every now and then but I wait until they pile up. I like the songs from the live disc Serpent and the stuff floating around youtube so I'm sure the album proper rules.

Yeah, I haven't heard Manner yet either. I managed to snag one of the last copies at my local shop, but my record player is in storage right now (much of the music stuff had to go when we converted our second bedroom into a nursery).

Circle followers may be interested that Janne Westerlund (Circle and Pharaoh Overlord guitarist and singer and leader of his own band Plain Ride) has a debut solo album 'Oran' coming out on CD on the label 9pm Records in September.

http://www.nwofhm.com/images/records/jannewesterlund_oran_cd_cover.jpg

There are a couple of tracks available on his soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/jannewesterlund

Cool, all the Plain Rides are kinda samey but this lullaby stuff is a nice change. It makes me really wonder what a 2012 Chainsmoker album would be like.

Quick search of youtube turns up JW doing a Forest song! Cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blmPoQjBGAM

Thanks liam, I'd not seen that before.

In Circle news...

'Hissi' and 'Fraten' get the reissue treatment on Ektro! Remastered CD versions are due 7th September. These are the third and fourth albums, from 1996 and 1997 respectively, originally issued by Metamorphos (and Captain Trip).

http://www.nwofhm.com/images/records/circle_hissi_cd_cover.jpg

http://www.nwofhm.com/images/records/circle_fraten_cd_cover.jpg

Man I love Lunar Jetman; I still haven't heard much from these guys, but this might be my favorite thing they've done

They've got a new split with Grails coming at the end of October, which I'm anticipating greatly!

They being Pharaoh Overlord, as per Lunar Jetman, I mean.

Awesome news Krakow!

I'm really looking forward to the Kuusumun Profeetta, too. Although this one seems completely different, their last album from 4-5 years ago called Lyhtykuja is easily one of the best albums in the whole Circle axis. That cd is highly recommended to anyone who is a Mika Ratto fan and likes the idea of minor key and mysterious synthesizer prog. It's kinda like an operatic take on the band Goblin.

Can't find any Lyhtykuja videos from the album proper but here's a live version of the best song on it (which doesn't quite do the tune justice, but...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YzfTVAW-30&

The new Quietus mix opens with Pharaoh Overload and may (or may not) be relevant to this thread's interests:

Quietus Mix 71: Hexvessel Present Current Affairs Of The Finnish Psychedelic Underground

(the rest isn't Circle-related to the best of my knowledge, though there is a lot I don't know about such things, but I check the Quietus's weekly mixes every week and thought I'd take the opportunity to plug one)

..."check" in a purely home-listener sense, in case that read like I actually have anything to do with their curation or anything

New Circle 7'' coming in the next couple of weeks! Circle cover Jesters Of Destiny's 'End Of Time' and 'God Told Me To' with Jesters members Bruce Duff and Ray Violet as part of the Circle line-up. Out around 30th October on Full Contact...

http://soundcloud.com/ektrorecords

http://ektrorecords.com/shop/images/krypt-025_markkinointikansi%20(pieni).jpg

Amazing news! That sample is fucking great!

As for the recent slew of albums that came out recently: I think the Arkhamin Kirvasto rules although I'm not crazy about the death metal singing, the Kuusumun Profeeta is very beautiful but very easy-listening AOR and the Janne Westerlund sort of totally kicks ass in a very mild mannered and quirky way... with lots of banjos.

I have Janne Westerlund coming up to Glasgow for a gig here on Thursday 6th December while he's in the UK with Mäkkelä's Trash Lounge...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A541xMUCEAARF2t.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/events/230586177070211/

So what were the Janne Westerlund gigs like Karakow? Did he have a band?

Finally heard Manner now that it has a CD reissue. It is... very mannered, ha. Stately. Much of it is sparse rhythmically, at least the framework, but the whole is dense with novel sonic textures and effects. So many little details. Very cool. Very colorful. I'm personally not crazy about the Eno cover but that's only because it's a song I don't like much and it drags a little. For me it fits better into the context of Serpent.

Manner might be the Circle album with the most singing, the Ratto songs are all performed with completely different vocal styles. He's very much an actor performing different roles in these miniature melodramas! Overall it is pretty great stuff but slightly weaker overall than the Rautatie and Infektio albums which precede it and feature the same lineup. Weaker only in that it's not quite as exciting/adventurous.

Also have been loving the Kuusumun Profeeta which is almost like a whole album of the most mellow and spacey Pink Floyd tracks from the 70s. Incredibly lush and understated (almost precious) but still very prog in spirit, it's all driven by the bubbling bass guitar and subdued synth textures. Highly recommended if you like that sort of thing!

busted out the last kuusumun profeeta again today. still love it.

also

Incredibly lush and understated (almost precious)

this album often sounds so emo to me! not a pejorative thing, I kinda dig it tbh. "sataa lumi maahan hiljaa ja varhain" is like american football with chops. so then maybe... how it feels to be something on?

also listened to circle's suur-pori the other day. fairly aimless jam session. not sure it even needed a cassette release, really.

Still haven't played those new cassettes! I'm looking forward to the Ektroverde one most. The Circle/Verde Giardino was pretty WTF and perhaps not really necessary too, ha. Still glad to have it.

I still really love that last Kuusumun album also. It really hits the spot. I agree it is very American Football!! I haven't thought about that band in years.

The PO split with Grails has one super good new song along the lines of P0 #3 (except with way busier guitars!) and one song that is some weird slowed down jam ala Guillotine which is kind of a let down after that first song but still interesting, a real head scratcher. I need to spend more time with it.

the ektroverde tape is fun! I like giardino as well.

sounds like I need to hear that split since #3 is easily my favorite PO. trying to imagine busy guitars on top of that ultra-minimal sound...

The PO is really cool! Leppanen and the two brother guitar guys, one left channel and one right, really own it. Someone put the first song up on youtube I guess:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzx9dqKSslw

The second song might not be slowed down, I did a close listen and it's possible they might be playing with extreme discipline, ha.

I have to say I think Suur-Pori is awesome and totally essential! I don't find it aimless at all, just confusing in the best possible way. If Leppanen wasn't there as an anchor it'd be harder to take but he IS there and so is Janne Tuomi! Good stuff, I can't believe it's 80 minutes long. Still the best and most interesting working band in the world that I know of!

The Ektroverde tape seems to be the complete session of the Music for Supermarket EP, and is indeed fun and charming in a quirky, robotic way.

New Ratto ja Lehtisalo 7" is really great too. Very colorful!!!

guess I have to give suur-pori another listen, huh? maybe I just wasn't in the mood?

dug that PO track, thanks for posting.

No prob, Alan. They had put that PO song up on Soundcloud at one point but I guess they took it down after the album came out.

As far as suur-pori I guess it depends on how much you appreciate confusing improvisation, ha. It is something I personally really go in for when the performers have very distinct personalities like these guys! I listened with headphones and had a lot of fun but I did only listen to only one side of the cassette at a time. The whole thing is indeed a bit much for one sitting!

Maybe it's worth listening for the percussionist's contribution, he is always adding subtle color, and also the work of the mixer guy. The latter is very active in shaping the overall sound and adding the effects (they never had effect pedals the times I've caught them live at least.)

yup, I'm definitely into improv, so I'll listen again soon and hone in on the percussion. ;-) I honestly don't remember much about it at this point (only listened once) except that I found it a bit too 'jammy' for my tastes.

also recently spun the second ratto ja lehtisalo record for the first time and it's been on high rotation ever since. pretty killer. love all the percussive vocal stuff on it.

I know, right! Glad you checked it out. That Ratto ja Lehtisalo is so neglected and so fascinating. The typewriter song is so funny. And also the one that is like "jue jue, ou ou ou, knock knock, push push, bebopaloolaloolaloola" is just out of this world with the goofy chanting contrasted by the kind of sacred church atmosphere!

Did you ever hear their side of the split 12" they did with Reverend Bizarro? So great, along the same lines vocally as the 2nd album but with motorik Leppanen drumming, electric guitar & synthesizers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPPFIfeulZk

no, I'd never heard this until just now, but wow, I love it!

and yeah, the typewriter and "knock, knock, push, push" tracks are both hilarious and great!

listening again, and although they don't sound awfully similar, this one definitely reminds me of pharoah overlord #3. both lps strip things down about as far as they reasonably can and this intense focus really makes individual elements pop out. the impact of sounds interacting magnifies and becomes a lot of fun for the listener to follow and the introduction of new elements gets more dramatic as well.