Circle (the Finnish band): S/D

I will def get around to Surface. I liked your description of it upthread a lot

New Circle & Pharaoh Overlord live albums coming up!

From Ektro's web page:

Ektro Records' vision for the future is to offer "outstanding solutions of subversive sound art". Key paths to realizing the vision are "harmonizing production lines" and "maximizing synergy advantages". As part of this strategy, the company launches a new, innovative concept: The "6000 km/h" brand.

6000 km/h is a product line of high quality, multi-channel "live" recordings. The brand name strives to communicate "speed, dynamism and goal-orientedness". The honour of opening the new product line has been given to Ektro records' flagship merchandise CIRCLE, jointly with its sister band oriented to the developing markets, PHARAOH OVERLORD. The pair of albums comprises a mutually complementing conceptual gesamtkunstwerk, the parts of which can, however, also be enjoyed as independent works.

CIRCLE's album 6000 km/h was recorded on the band's European tour in spring 2014. Utmost care has been taken to include a top quality selection of most exciting "takes" of the band's psychedelic rock hits like "Paniikin Valtias", "Fish Reflection", and the evergreen "Se Jonka Nimeä Ei Mainita".

PHARAOH OVERLORD's album 6000 km/h is a recording of the band's show at Turku's H2Ö festival, where they gave the festival audience the most unforgettable summer experience of the year 2014, taking them on a ride through time and space into a dialectical tailspin where the laws of music, theatre and society, among other things, turn into their opposites. All the songs on the album are world premieres, including titles such as "Hei Se Kassi Tänne", "No Ota Sitten Kolmekymppiä", and "Onkohan Tää Riisiä"

Jussi Lehtisalo, the Executive Director of Ektro Records, is excited about the "6000 km/h" concept: "6000 km/h is our bravest product launch since the company started in 1996. This is going to be something totally whacked out!"

Ha, perfect.

Excellent!

New Ruton Music cassettes up for pre-order in Ektro's web store!

Harry Salmenniemi: Kivirivit
Pharaoh Overlord: Överhörn
Circle: Hukkaamiskielto

Good lookin' out! I live in fear of missing out on these things since I missed out on the first one Noiduttu which is a hell of a great Circle album doomed to ultra-obscurity (for the time being, at least.)

The new 7" reissues are very handsome, in case anyone is wondering, and of course the music is pretty great, too.

YAASSS! Guillotine coming on vinyl! I love that album!

Yeah, I'm so stoked ha. It's my favorite album ever, so otherworldly. And a bonus track!

Circle vs Circle @ Supermassive festival, Helsinki, Finland, 23/10/14

part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSaPaSIVxRE
part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI69Zc-Z_ok
part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az-gdyEMGro
part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdvKp2IhlJQ
part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=almaLTeQQU4

Cool! Can't wait for the record.

I haven't listened to any of the 4 new releases yet except the Circle cassette which is totally bonkers... it is a live set somehow converted to midi and then I guess mixed/layered with the actual live recording. So it sounds like really noisey live Circle rendered as 8 bit NES video game music. The cymbals especially are funny. Weird, confusing stuff. Hard to say if it is "good" or not but it is a worthy experiment.

Ydinontelo / Hollow Core (Janne Westerlund, Julius Jääskeläinen, Pekka Jääskeläinen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdj2VtnPSJs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uajjUuNgp8Y

Yay! Got my package from Aquarius today that includes those first two 6000 km/h entries!

Holy shit, a Circle album called Pharaoh Overlord!

The Janne Westerlund Marshland is killer, very rootsy folksy acoustic mellow sing-songs with the occasional dark Forest-esqe dark trippy instrumental excursion. The Aktor is strange and very 80s cheese metal -- I'm going to have to spend time with this thing. Superb playing on both.

Oh jeez, and a Pharaoh Overlord called Circle, ha!

Haahaha, brilliant! I love the gimmicks. :-)

"The best of Circle - selected by Jussi Lehtisalo. 5 tunes from the 24 year-old history of Finland's most mysterious band - Circle - selected by their founder."

https://soundcloud.com/planetrockbooking/sets/the-best-of-circle/s-XIH9N

Interesting choices!

Ruton Music cassette alert!

http://ektrorecords.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=3984

"Circle: Live in London CS (PRE-ORDER)
[Ruton Music (rut-012)]

This is a pre-order item, release date is May 15th

RUT-012: Circle: Live in London (C62)

Circle at London’s epic Scala club in April 2014. Showroom dummies? Blurred agenda? Wrong timing?

”They build a lot of their work on repetition, which is fair enough, but it really does nothing for me, ” penned Chris Grenville in Monolith.

Red shell, direct black bodyprinting, numbered edition of 200."

Jeez, between this, the new Circle and PO studio albums, the Bensini thing AND the 2xDVD my wallet is really hurting, ha. In the best possible way!

I know, right? "Welcome to Circle fan club. Sorry about your wallet." But Circle (and related) albums/cassettes/DVDs/t-shirts are definitely worth it!

Right, every 6 months or so I'm saying to myself, "Hmmm, it's been a long time since the last Circle album." ha. And something interesting always comes along, usually something hard to comprehend that you struggle for a few listens to integrate into the big picture. Or give up on! But it's always rewarding. For 12 years now or something I've been getting this annual fix! And I guess more people must be buying the stuff because now it comes in waves!!!

Circle's Euro tour starts soon! Anyone here going?

15.05.
SE Malmö Inkonst

16.05.
DK Göteborg Truckstop Alaska

17.05.
DK København Jazzhouse

18.05.
DE Berlin Urban Spree + Camera

19.05.
DE Dresden Scheune

21.05.
UK Birmingham Capsule @ Hare & Hounds

22.05.
UK Bradford Threadfest

23.05.
UK London Raw Power Weekender
(as Pharaoh Overlord)

24.05.
UK London Raw Power Weekender
(as Circle)

26.05.
NL Arnhem Willemeen

27.05. BE Leuven Orange Factory @ Sojo

29.05. CH Bad Bonn Kilbi

30.05.
CH Basel Bildrausch
(SSEENNSSEESS - performance with Mika Taanila)

SSEENNSSEESS CD pre-order up. I knew I should have waited or asked; prefer my Circle on CD.

Oddly there's a clip of one SSEENNSSEESS show on YouTube with no Jussi!

Actually I've been looking for an excuse to bump this thread for a while. Talk Circle!

Live In London is ace BTW, in case you were wondering. Great versions of Fish Reflection, Terminal, Beer & Ribs and other favourites.

I think they had an exceptionally good year last year. The Circle Pharaoh Overlord is one of their best albums ever for me and a few of my friends who don't even like the band dig the Pharaoh Overlord Circle I guess because it has a user-friendly major key synth pop vibe?

Both live cassettes were excellent indeed, the one from the late 90's with a handful of Pori songs was even something of a revelation!

The live 2xDVD though is disappointingly unwatchable youtube quality single camera video. Luckily it sounds great, so I ripped the audio and it functions perfectly as an epic-length pair of live albums!!!

Also Jussi's 3rd solo album is excellent song-oriented stuff, short and sweet and bordering on sublime.

Noel, I got an email from you a month ago or so but you didn't include a return email address so I couldn't reply -- would be glad to send you that Brighton live set.

Thanks Liam, I'll be in touch.

As I said I have the 2005 set which I think I must have recorded and immediately filed away, unless I sent a copy to Jussi. Not a very good recording unfortunately, the 2004 show I remember sounding much better.

If you are looking to pick up some things on Bandcamp today three Ratto Ja Lehtisalo albums have recently been added and they are all terrific, especially Matematiikka, but all of them.

I've been starting to catch up on Kuusumun Proffetta as well and also love the ones I've heard so far (Hymyilevien Laivojen Satama & Huutoja Hiljaisesta Huoneesta).

This one is sounding pretty good so far

http://circlesl.bandcamp.com/album/terminal

I found the Aktor album for cheap and, I admit, didn't really get it at first; now I feel like its dominant influence is Blue Öyster Cult's Agents of Fortune and after stuff (weird blend of uneasy guitars and keyboards with kind of anthemic, upbeat choruses - I mean, the chorus to The Mover!) and not-quite-metal hard rock (and/or prog bands trying to "dumb down" and play hard rock like Saga or something) from the early 80s. It's cool! But it's such a weird sound.

Or like late 70s Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, etc.

I totally love it.

When I posted a little while back about original inspirations for Aktor and the Iron Magazine EP* I was reminded about this thread:

1981 = year of 70s dino rockers w modren/wavo comeback LPs

Be sure to check out High Spirits' 'Motivator' album as well. Chris Black is some kind of genius.

* "...lazer-buzzing, intergalactic HARD ROCKIN' at that nexus of 1980 where greasy 'n' galloping heavy metal, Sunset-strippin' hard rock, and space-cased AOR all crossed DNA for one brief moment."

And don't miss the Aktor single. Just a couple of bucks on Bamdcamp I think. The B side 'Buried By The Sea' is more prog than anything on the album.

Nice! Thanks!

Going to have to scour that 1981 thread, I'm kinda feeling that era right now.

great photo:

https://i.imgur.com/Vy3n1GI.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/51716654430/photos/a.10153089188539431.1073741825.51716654430/10155801400749431/?type=3&theater

Inordinately enjoying Krypt Axeripper right now, will have to check out Steel Mammoth. The Aktor album and 7" kinda fit with this weird vibe, too.

If I remember right, the Krypt Axeripper came out just before Jussi Lehtisalo started releasing his Jussi and friends (what I call these things) NWOFHM 7"s, and is I think the first in that series of worthwhile experiments. Which is to say I hope if you plan to keep digging that you don't neglect the Traktor Pulling, Motorspandex, Mercedes Hell, and Arkhamin Kirjasto 7"s, all of which are along those lines and are about as rich with content as 7" records can possibly be! Those lines being pomo eclectic warped motor metal. All these releases are pretty fun. A less good but still worthy NWOFHM cassette came out more recently that may or may not still be available, and features otherwise unreleased tracks from some of the above projects and others.

Steel Mammoth is also clearly this genre, and is also a really fun band, and probably closest to the Krypt Axeripper record's sound, just Jussi has minimal involvement with SM far as I can tell after their first two albums (it's confusing!) Another good group is Night Satan, whom are totally unrelated member-wise I think, but have an exceptional 7" themselves (mastered by Jussi) which is NWOFHM instrumentals with synths pretending to be distorted electric guitars! Their first full length drops the metal posturing and features mostly John Carpenter-type minor key arpeggiated synth instrumentals.

I agree the Aktor stuff is very much a return to that sound! Just slicker! The singer/songwriter is very, very strong, and I understand has other projects which are highly regarded, and his strength combined with Circle's rhythm section makes for an interesting group indeed!

Wow man... so much stuff to catch up with! Thanks for the tips!

i heard Jussi made an album with the people from Mamiffer -- has anyone heard it?

Tangentially Circle related (Jussi and Tomi are members), but absolutely highest recommendation for the two Mahti albums out this year, Musikki 1 and Musikki 2. Not always a fan of letting the band speak for themselves, but this description is pretty accurate:

Mahti are a Finnish four-piece group presenting a unique mixture of ambient-rock, electronic music and traditional Finnish-Karelian music.

Lengthy semi-improvisational pieces are built on top of complex, hypnotic grooves which are layered with opaque guitars and strangely soothing noise elements. In the heart of it all there's kantele, an ancient Finnish string instrument played by Hannu Saha, who has studied Finnish folk music in theory and practice for nearly five decades.

Some of the most wonderful cover art as well:

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0538001792_10.jpg

https://mahtifinland.bandcamp.com/album/musiikki-1

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0241654974_10.jpg

https://mahtifinland.bandcamp.com/album/musiikki-2

Ugh, I am in love with those covers.

I'll probably bump the Richard Dawson thread with this news, but just got an email from Riot Season that a third Mahti album is on the way, but this time the lineup has expanded to include Richard Dawson on guitar and vocals, as well as Sally Pilkington on keys and vocals.