Circle
Bandname
Circle
Country
FI/Pori
Founded
1991
Members
Circle/J. Lehtisalo
Liisankatu 25 A 10
28100 Pori
Finland
Alotus
Label
Klangbad
Released
2003
Format
LP ? / CD
Sunrise
Label
Ektro
Released
2002
Format
LP ? / CD
Taantumus
Label
Bad Vugum (FIN) / tUMULt (USA)
Released
2001
Tracks
12
Time
62
Format
No Vinyl / CD
Prospekt
Label
Ektro records
Released
2000
Tracks
6
Time
50
Format
LP ? / CD

Is there such a thing as Circle overload? We donīt think so. In their case, you canīt have too much of a good thing. Hot on the heels of the AQ-anniversary party concert appearance by this fab Finnish band, comes a brand new import disc of their hypnotic avant-rock compositions. Yep, newer than "Andexelt", and just as good. Not as sparse and dubby as that disc, "Prospekt" is rather heavier and denser, mesmerizingly repetitive as always, and kinda startling, with some incredible vocal acrobatics / operatics in the opening track "Dedofiktion". Of course, super super recommended. 50 minutes, six tracks of that Circle genius. This could have been a record of the week along with its cousin the Ektroverde disc but we didnīt want the AQ Circle cheerleading to get too predictable (and also we might run out of these pretty quickly)...

Andexelt
Label
tUMULt (USA)
Released
2000
Tracks
8
Time
60
Format
No Vinyl / CD

Finally! The new Circle record. Nine brand new tracks of droning, hypnotic neo-kraut rock from one of our absolute all-time favorite bands. Finlandīs Circle, are the northernmost heirs to the Krautrock tradition, taking basic riffs, stretching and reshaping them, creating bleak, ever shifting underwater grooves and dizzingly repetitive rhythms, sounding like an otherworldly This Heat or a more damaged Can. A mesmerising wall of sound delivered with the sheer force of Loop or Godflesh, but with dark precision and melodic restraint Mellow, delicate jazzy passages intersect with crushing Bonham-esque beats. Fans of Circleīs other great records can already guess that this is completely amazing and absolutely essential!!! But fans of TransAm and Tortoise and Mogwai should definitely check this Finnish comboīs ability to out-post most post rock bands and out-space most spacerock bands.
Released domestically on our own Andeeīs tUMULt label (originally released on Finnish weird-prog label Metamorphos) with a bonus 10 minute track and a kick ass secret track.

Pori
Label
Metamorphos (FIN) / Feldspar (USA)
Released
1998
Tracks
10
Time
65
Format
No Vinyl / CD

Circle is a six-piece from Finland that plays a unique blend of spacerock, psychedelia, and avant garde progressive. The band consists of T. Elo on guitars and vocals, T. Harrivaara on bass and doublebass, J. Lehtisalo on guitars, keyboards, and vocals, T. Niemela on keyboards and stick, J. Peltomaki on drums, and V. Raitio on percussion.
On "Pori", Circle returns with their trademark sound of repeating rhythms and melody lines around which the band develops loose themes. The disc begins with a four minute intro of what sounds like a modern classical symphony. They then launch into "Vasitorni" (I had trouble making out the song titles) with its pounding rhythm of heavy rock, spaced out synth melodies, and subtly psychedelic guitar lines. A great clash of the passive and aggressive. Another strong tune is "Back To Pori" which combines a crunchy guitar sound, orchestral space keyboards, and chanting choir to produce a most cosmic feel. My favorite tune on the disc is "Kartano", which features the same trademark Circle rhythms, but is an aggressive spacerock freakout. Lots of cosmic guitars and vibrating synths. For a band that isnīt a purely space outfit this has got to be one of the great space tunes of ī 98.
The one track that disappointed me was "Porin Jazz Juhiat". A jazzy, and wonderfully exploratory tune, it has great possibilities but unfortunately doesnīt justify its 13 minute length. The rest of the disc features the classic Circle sound, though I should also mention "Karhun Kansaa" which sounds just like Materialsī "Conform To The Rhythm" but with psych guitar and freaky sounds.
In summary, though "Pori" has far more to offer spacerock fans than last yearīs "Fraten", I donīt think that - song for song - its as musically solid a release. But its got some great tracks and is highly recommended to spacers who welcome challenging music.

Kollekt
Label
Bad Vugum (FIN)
Released
1998
Remark
compilation 1991-1994
Format
No Vinyl / CD

Finlandīs Circle has become something of a favorite here at AI. Though clearly a gem for spacerock fans, their music is, nonetheless, difficult to define and the band really has a sound all itīs own. The music on their last three Metamorphos label CDīs (Hissi, Fraten, and Pori) venture into the darkest unexplored black hole regions of the universe to produce some truly cosmically challenging music.
Kollekt ventures into the early Circle archives to give more recent fans a glimpse into the bandsī early 90īs roots. The CD includes their first three 7 inch releases: DNA (ī 91), Point (ī 92), and Silver (ī 93). Weī re also treated to five bonus tracks from ī 92-ī 94, though I donīt know if these are unreleased or not.
The early Circle surprised me as seriously aggressive music. I want to use the term hardcore but must emphasize that itīs not in the standard punk rock sense. And while the music is different, the Circle trademark of establishing a somewhat minimalist repeating rhythm and/or melody is already in evidence. The liner notes are unclear but it looks like Circle was a 3-piece on the first two EPīs, becoming a 4-piece on the third, and only expanding the lineup in ī 94.
I donīt know if the DNA and Point EPīs are really a guitar, bass, drums power trio because Iīm sure I hear two guitars. Whatever the case, this is phenomenally energetic music. The rhythm guitar crashes incessantly, the drums maintain a maddening pace, but the vocals, though not prominent, are eerie like chanting ghosts. This, however, changes dramatically on the song "Fone" (from Point). The vocals are downright frightening, like a male mixture of Diamanda Galas and Jarboe. And the music on this track is so manic that I could barely keep up. "Depoint" gives a glimpse into the more cosmic music that would come in subsequent years. Metallic music and the ghostly vocals are accompanied by frantically freaky guitar work. The vocals become more prominent on the Silver EP and get a lot weirder, though the ethereal chanting is still present as well. Keyboards have been added at this point and the song "Circus" even has a new wavish feel to it.
The bonus tracks are similar to the EPīs. One of my favorites is "Armond" which ventures into Chrome territory, but totally out energizes that band for pure sonic aural onslaught. "Hypto", at almost nine minutes is the longest track on this set, and is another example of the space elements that Circle would soon incorporate into their music. The band lays down a driving guitar crunching beat around which freaked out psych guitar roams and explores. Itīs a wild combination of aggression and floating lava lamp spacerock.

Surface (live)
Label
Metamorphos (FIN) / Captain Trip (JAP)
Released
1998
Tracks
11
Remark
split live with Marble Sheep (JAP)
Format
No Vinyl / CD

A live album of eleven tracks of which 8 are by Circle and recorded in Finland featuring 2 tracks from their 1st album "Meronia",3 tracks from their 2nd release "Zolpalki", one track from album 3 "Hissi" and one track not released before (Sprinkler) plus 3 tracks by Japanese band Marble Sheep and recorded in Japan. More hypnotic style Krautrock and a great album.

Fraten
Label
Metamorphos (FIN)
Released
1997
Tracks
10
Format
No Vinyl / CD

An excellent new release from this Finnish band. Sounding like an instrumental ī CANī with textured soundscapes layered over riffīs. Every track sounds fresh and the band manage to stay away from "sameness" that a lot of instrumental music falls in to. The band uses double bass, guitar, keyboards, bass, stick, drums, percussion, and on one track, didgeridoo. Vocals are used on one track but in a minalistic form.

Zopalki
Label
Bad Vugum (FIN)
Released
1996
Tracks
12
Remark
one bonus track on 2LP
Format
DoLP / CD

Bizarrely enough, I donīt believe that weīve ever listed this before, one of our favorite records by one of our favorite bands. This, the second album from these Finnish space/prog rockers, from 1996, sees them really delving into neo-Krautrock sounds and psychedelic hypnosis complete with sinister string arrangements. This oneīs dark and murky and heavy and a contender for our favorite Circle record ever, and thatīs saying something! If you donīt have this one already, you should get it!

Hissi
Label
Metamorphos (FIN) / Captain Trip (JAP)
Released
1996
Tracks
9
Format
No Vinyl / CD

New six piece instrumental band from Finland. The styles in this music are many and yet very successfully this band have melded influences from groups Kraftwerk, Neu, King Crimson and music influences Electronic, Space Rock, Techno & Industrial together to produce a brilliant CD. No drum machines for these guys. J. Lehtisalo plays ī realī drums and that is what makes all the difference to keeping this bands music interesting, lively and never boring. Something that is quite often hard to do when the music is all instrumental. Other instruments are : machines, guitars, keyboards, bass & percussion. Recommended.

Meronia
Label
Bad Vugum (FIN)
Released
1994
Tracks
15
Remark
one bonus track on 2LP
Format
DoLP / CD