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Circa Survive is a Philadelphia based progressive rock band consisting of former Saosin vocalist Anthony Green and ex members of the group This Day Forward. Circa Survive, Much in the same vein as Equal Vision Records label mates Coheed and Cambria (sans the wierd hair) are a very rock based group instrumentally with a ton of guitar accompanied by almost ballad like vocals.The story starts when then Saosin vocalist Anthony Green flew home to Philadelphia for a dentist appointment, worn out and not wanting to leave, he returned to the airport to head back to California, when Green had an epiphany, finally realizing that despite guaranteed success awaiting his return to the Left Coast, he knew he would still in the end be miserable to return. So he decided to stay in Philly and began playing music with old high school jam partner Colin Frangicetto, after awhile of playing together they both decided it was time for a band and they began recruiting, Circa Survive had been born. They went out and recruited Brendan Ekstrom, who had been Frangicetto’s bandmate in This Day Forward, a group that had broken up, acquired bassist Nick Beard, and Steve Clifford, and thus emerged Circa Survive…got it?

After releasing a limited edition tour EP titled “The Inuit Sessions.” They released the album we are going to be reviewing today, Juturna.

Rumored to be a concept album based on Anthony green’s battle with cocaine, when asked to explain the album, He responded, “the lyrics appeared to me while I was watching the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind during a cocaine trip.” They go on to further reference the movie on the album with song titles such as “Meet Me in Montauk.” Which is a phrase the character named Clementine whispers in Joel’s (Jim Carreys character) ear just before the last memory of her is erased. Throughout the album there are scattered lines and notations from the movie, so for fans of the movie, this might be something interesting to check out.

Juturna features 11 tracks, the majority of them stand out for one reason, Anthony Greens vocals. You can feel his very real angst, in each lyric. To compare Anthony Green’s vocal sound is a difficult task because there really hasn’t been anything quite like him before. I hadn’t been this impressed with a singer since listening to Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria for the first time. Some of the stand out songs on the album include “Holding Someone’s Hair Back” which is due mostly to the earlier mentioned vocal styling’s of Anthony Green. The instrumental is very subpar behind an impressive vocal display, however it somehow equals out. The song apparently tells the story of Joel and Clementine from the aforementioned film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. Reading like personal thoughts of deciding whether to erase this person from your memory.

Yet another that stands out is the fifth track titled “In Fear and Faith.” The song opens with the group completely in sync and with a great sound all around, the instruments work exceptionally well in correlation to the vocals and the lyrical content, which has been a subject quite sporadic throughout the album as a whole (sometimes words or phrases seem to be nonsensical – maybe relative to the story pre told of his writing lyrics while on a cocaine trip.) The song is about the, questions of a dying relationship, probably the most complete song on the album, however still sometimes his writing seems senseless. Songs that still bear mentioning include “We’re all thieves” and the interaction between two strangers on “Oh, Hello.”

This albums has its upsides and downsides, as does any album; on this occasion the most impressive element of the album happens to be the vocal prowless of lead singer Anthony Green, on the flipside sometimes the lyrical content is either to artsie, or just doesn’t make any fucking sense. However, that may not necessarily be a bad thing, Bands such as Cooheed and Cambria have made an entire career off that very thing, being beyond understanding.

The Bottom Line: The bottom line is that with a new band, and new direction Anthony Green could be a very memorable name in the future. Hopefully he clears his mind (and nostrals) and approaches the new project with more focus, and hopefully shows a ton of improvement with his writing, because he has a very special talent, his voice is unlike anything I have heard in years, very impressed. I wouldn’t recommend people buying this album now because It just lacks sense, however if you’re a fan of the movie we’ve already mentioned a few times, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” you may be a huge fan, the album follows the same path and almost tells a similar story in many of the tracks.

Tracklisting

1. Holding Someone’s Hair Back
2. Act Appalled
3. Wish Resign
4. The Glorious Nosebleed
5. In Fear and Faith
6. The Great Golden Baby
7. Stop the Fucking Car
8. We’re All Thieves
9. Oh, Hello
10. Always Getting What You Want
11. Meet Me in Montauk

Websites

CircaSurive.com
MySpace.com/CircaSurvive

Record Label:

• Bodog Music

Release Date:

• 05/07/2005

Reviewer:

• Kevin Dank