Circus Devils
"Ataxia" CD
Happy
Jack Rock Records
Genre: experimental rock, lo-fi,
rock
Dayton, Ohio
Oct 27, 2008 |
Since its formation in 2001, Circus Devils has been the weirder
outlet for Robert Pollard's musical endeavours. Yes, I realize
I'm talking about a man whose "straightforward" songs go by names like
"Tractor Rape Chain" and "Squirmish Frontal Room," but if Guided By
Voices was strange, Circus Devils is Danny DeVito in a
g-string. Uh, yeah.
What often goes unmentioned - particularly in promotional materials
- is that Pollard's involvement in Circus Devils is
limited to the lyrics. While he pens the words and sings them,
longstanding GBV producer Todd Tobias and his brother
Tim are responsible for everything else. The result on Ataxia
is a uniquely written record that relies on dynamic and structural
eclecticism more than it does on melody.
The overall tone of Ataxia is almost Gothic in its dark
mystique. Songs seem to bubble up amidst a cauldron of haunting,
atmospheric sounds. "Get Me Extra!," for example, emerges out of an
uneasy haze of feedback, while opener "Under Review" has to battle a
morose drone in order to attain footing. This makes for an intriguing
album that is more than a set of songs, but instead a continuing
story; this, in turn, frames the record's better songs nicely. Zippy
rocker "The Girls Will Make It Happen" succeeds by way of a strange
sense of melody, while small acoustic number "He Had All Day" allows a
pensive moment of pause. "Stars, Stripes and Crack Pipes," on the
other hand, is a blazing rocker that recalls GBV's later work.
Other songs seem more about atmosphere than
melody; "Hi I'm Martha, How Are You?" is a sinister mood piece, and "I
Found the Black Mind" is strangely monastic.
It is difficult to describe Ataxia in a way that would
adequately communicate what to expect from it, although that might be
considered a good thing. These seventeen songs seem to tell a story,
even if considerations like plot and characters aren't present. The
nature of the story is unclear, but its twists and turns are best
experienced with a relatively clean slate. Although Pollard's
role in Circus Devils is not as substantial as his part in
GBV or most of its side projects, this intriguing release is worth
a look for fans and non-fans alike.
circus
devils' myspace
81%
youuuuuuuutube!:
"get me extra" video,
"eye razors" video (really cool)
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 17 tracks, distributed by
Rockathon Records,
released October 31, 2008] |
