Nice packaging, very nice. Little square envelope in which the CD sits. And mine came with an origami penguin. Aww! Music-wise, Circus Act are on their way. They’re mixing up quirky indie rock with a little emo on this CD, but have apparently moved on a little since then. The first track is let down by the vocals on the chorus, but otherwise is a nice and melodic little tune, bobbling a long in a sort of Bob Tilton / Van Pelt way, I love the almost spoken vocals that build up to the chorus, and the shouty vocal part that preludes a slightly jazzy break. The second song breaks in beautifully, subdued and stripped, rather reminding of some of the stuff of the last Reiziger LP, the bassline and drumming nudges things a long. The vocals don’t quite set it off, a little out of tune and conflicting with the unintrusive nature of the music, the part where they are quietly spoken works much better in my opinion. And the sudden surge into the noisier chorus doesn’t quite work. Instrumentally this song is awesome, it has another one of those grooving jazzy breaks, but it’s a thumbs down to the vocals. The final track has a different vocalist doing spoken word over quiet guitars, reminds me a little of San Lorenzo, then they break into a screamy chorus, where the backing screams really are quite special. This is my favourite of the 3 songs here.
By no means perfect, but good stuff nonetheless, the least you can do is check out their website (linked below) as it’s going to become an awesome DIY music resource for UK kids. Then buy the CD, shut your mind off to the singing in places, and you’ll have a very enjoyable little purchase.