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Circus Circus

Brooklyn Nightlife

Written by: TL on 15/08/2008 12:12:39

It should be a royal/presidential decree, that all who have been confused by the wave of delusional scene bands trying to distance themselves from their -mo attachments, should give the debut album \"Brooklyn Nightlife\" by Circus Circus a listen. Why? Because they\'ll never again be in doubt about what post-hardcore is, or what it has potential to sound like.

Imagine a band with the intensity of UnderOATH, the emotion of Rites Of Spring, the tongue-in-cheek insanity of The Blood Brothers, the sense of ripping melody of Alexisonfire and the tendency to pack almost as much good stuff into their songs as The Dillinger Escape Plan and you might have yourself a vague idea of what Circus Circus sound like. Their debut album is a 10-track record, where the majority of the songs are little over 2-minute long DIAMONDS, jam-packed to the point of bursting with breathtakingly awesome guitar parts. Power chords rip relentlessly, and come at you with unbelievable energy and high speed, making your body tear itself apart with the urge to just go jumping and stomping in the nearest mosh pit. Meanwhile, the second guitar is pouring honey into your ears, playing super-melodic scales and adding curious doodles here and there, adding layer upon layer of infectiousness over the already admirable base of sheer punk-rock energy. Fans of old Alexisonfire or The Fall Of Troy will feel right at home in this soundscape. Listen to \"Fact Monster\" and my point should be made. I for one could barely sleep last night because several of the song\'s riffs kept racing around in my mind.

Amongst these sweet sweet guitar licks, the lead vocalist is screaming like a man possessed. Sure, that\'s being said about countless singers these days, but here, you can hear the sheer throat-shattering excess of a singer with conviction, and you have to question yourself if this guy isn\'t going to ruin his voice long before Circus Circus get to record a sophomore record. Where many singers sound like they don\'t know what they\'re doing, here it simply adds to the bands integrity that we can\'t help thinking \"Wow, he really really means it\". His screams change back and forth between at times appearing loaded with sheer heartscraping urgency, and at others, a more distanced and critical bitterness, and while they dominate most of the album, there are also plenty of moments where clean-ish gang-vocals provide small hook lines that are sure to take up residence in your mind alongside the guitars, like the \"Restraint! it\'s something we needed, something we needed\" of opener \"First We Feast, Then We Felony\", or the closing of the centerpiece \"India\", going \"All our friends are dying! all our friends are dying!\".

Taking a view from the top, the first five tracks immediately stand out as the best, as their vocal parts and guitar lines seem loaded with a more encouraging range of emotion than the latter half of the album, where the approach is more geared towards the chaotic and destructive, making it stand out a bit less, from the crowd of chaos-worshipping hardcore bands. However, \"Brooklyn Nightlife\" is still a record that, from start to end, is filled with stop/start riffage and manic screaming that speak of attitude in untold volumes, clearly displayed when the album closes strong on \"Get Your Dog Out Of My Salmon Bushes\".

Try as I may though, I believe there is no way that I can successfully translate the sound of a band like this into a review. You simply have to hear it. Skeptics may be bewildered by the grade I\'m going to give this album, as it might be hard to see what technically sets them above others, given that after all, most of the things at play here are rather simple, plentiful and cleverly arranged as they are. I can only say that when I listen to Circus Circus, there\'s only one thought in my mind, and that is \"this is the real deal.. this is honesty and passion incarnate\". It\'s in listening to 5-10 different albums a day and still returning to this one for its intensity and its directness. I\'m fairly sure the amount of people who hear the same thing will never be large enough to make these guys world-famous, but I hope you do, because otherwise, by God you\'re missing out.

Download: Fact Monster, India, Telepathic Chat
For The Fans Of: Old Alexisonfire, The Fall Of Troy, Rites Of Spring
Listen: myspace.com/circuscircus

Release Date 15.07.2008
Ci Records