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Circle
The Middle
Review by Gary Hill
I could almost see this landing in the progressive rock heading. In a lot of ways it’s not that far removed from some of the modern alternative rock leaning prog out there. Personally, I think it lands more on the alternative rock end of things than the prog one, though. Still, however you slice this, it’s pretty good. That said, it does have a little tendency towards samey-ness
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013 Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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| Track by Track Review
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The Middle
This melodic alternative rocker has a few different sounds and moods. It’s an effective tune. |
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Fashion Me a Drum
Energetic and more upbeat, this cut has a lot of intriguing alternative rock layers. It’s another strong tune. I particularly like the female vocals on this one. |
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Gorgeous
There’s more of a dreamy vibe here. I really like the bass line on this one a lot. The non-lyrical female vocals are a plus, too. |
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I Believe
An upbeat pop tune, the horn section is a nice touch on this tune. |
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2020 Vision
Now, this one is very much a progressive rock piece. There’s a swirling kind of jam in the backdrop that calls to mind modern King Crimson a bit. We get some intriguing shifts and changes and this is very much like a King Crimson does 80’s pop rock kind of piece. |
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Hold
Electronic music merges with organic on this tasty pop rock piece. |
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Oh My Heart
There aren’t any big changes here, but this is another solid pop rock tune. |
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Half Race Girls
More energized, there is some reggae in the mix here. The keyboards also bring some classical music to the table. There is a little too much processing on some of the vocals for my tastes, though. |
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All the People
A mellower tune, this is more like a ballad. |
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Ready to Dance
Energized electronic music with lots of 80s pop sounds in the mix, this is cool. It’s a bit different than some of the other music, but still fits into the general concept. |
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Brothers
This isn’t the best tune on the set by any means. It’s quite pure pop music. It seems at once a little over-produced and under-produced. In other words, some parts feel over-produced, while the vocals often seem intentionally mixed to be lo-fi. It’s alright, but arguably the weakest track here. |
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