My Circuital Review

[Penny Lane]

after hearing Wonderful live over the years, it's hard to listen to the studio version--i agree with this, i just wanted it raw

oh penny, no!! Wonderful is produced to perfection and way less boring than it is live.  the strings, perfect accompaniment.  the ending when it all comes in is exactly what it needs.   oye people are going to be snarlin' when this puppy comes out officially.

ha ha snarlin' in a bad way..
just Yim + song=nirvana (no need for strings or drums or slide G)

[Penny Lane]

I am going to put myself out on a limb here and say this album is going to be pretty divisive.   ;D
I like your point, Wolof, about not comparing it to their other releases.  IMO, I feel like maybe the expectations are a little too high with all of the talk of "returing to their roots", etc...  I don't really get that from this album.  So I think in that context people might be a little let down or disappointed.  However, now that I am past my confusion of it not being what I was expecting necessarily, I'm enjoying the shit out of it.  I'm not going to judge it against anything else or grade it because I've had it for one full day.  I listened to it several times yesterday and when I woke up this morning, I had First Light in my head.  That was one of my least favorites on my first listen, yet I woke up with it in my head.  That's a good sign for me.  I really can't wait to hear these songs live cuz I think they are going to be pretty effing sweet.  I can see Victory Dance going all skitzo at the end like Via Chicago.  Awww hell, now I'm ramblin' again.

completely agree...i don't think very many people are going to to say "eh, it was okay.."  newer generation of Z/EU fans will eat it up...old schoolers (TTF-Z) fans will be even further pushed away--like JYAC said, that's part of the excitement of following them...(or agony)

[BigHerm]

]
It makes no difference.  Every Beatles album is different but we still judge and rank them.  This album is slightly different to the last therefore it needs to be judged by different criteria?  No, it really doesn't.

I think his point is, people are going in to the album expecting it to sound like AD or ISM, and it doesn't, and it's not going to. MMJ has a track record of not doing the same shit over and over again At least that's my take. You can compare albums all you want, seems logical. However if you're popping in Circuital hoping it sounds like AD, ISM, Z (or whatever) all you are doing is setting yourself up for a major letdown.

When is the last time they put out something that was identical to what they've done before? I'll hang up and listen.

[BigHerm]

newer generation of Z/EU fans will eat it up...old schoolers (TTF-Z) fans will be even further pushed away

Wow. What about the people that can appreciate each album on it's own? Are we "new generation" or "old schoolers?"

[BH]

newer generation of Z/EU fans will eat it up...old schoolers (TTF-Z) fans will be even further pushed away

Wow. What about the people that can appreciate each album on it's own? Are we "new generation" or "old schoolers?"

Can you please confirm that you are not me and I am not you.  I know there are a few people that are wondering.   ;)   I am BH and my friends call me Herm so it is quite a coincidence.  It ain't me Penny and Ruckus!

[BigHerm]

newer generation of Z/EU fans will eat it up...old schoolers (TTF-Z) fans will be even further pushed away

Wow. What about the people that can appreciate each album on it's own? Are we "new generation" or "old schoolers?"

Can you please confirm that you are not me and I am not you.  I know there are a few people that are wondering.   ;)   I am BH and my friends call me Herm so it is quite a coincidence.  It ain't me Penny and Ruckus!

It's quite the coincidence. I can't confirm or deny if I am you or you are me, it's all too confusing right now.

[Penny Lane]

newer generation of Z/EU fans will eat it up...old schoolers (TTF-Z) fans will be even further pushed away

Wow. What about the people that can appreciate each album on it's own? Are we "new generation" or "old schoolers?"

i just think that's where the divide will be (as in an album being divisive)...it's a general statement...a lot of people don't fit anywhere, but on AVERAGE that's where the line will be drawn...

i'm not saying there aren't a ton of people in the middle who love it all or certain albums specifically, but on average, if people liked EU, then i think they'll like this album...of the 50 or so people i've talked to so far about the album, most who didn't like EU say this is on par

[Penny Lane]

newer generation of Z/EU fans will eat it up...old schoolers (TTF-Z) fans will be even further pushed away

Wow. What about the people that can appreciate each album on it's own? Are we "new generation" or "old schoolers?"

Can you please confirm that you are not me and I am not you.  I know there are a few people that are wondering.   ;)   I am BH and my friends call me Herm so it is quite a coincidence.  It ain't me Penny and Ruckus!

It's quite the coincidence. I can't confirm or deny if I am you or you are me, it's all too confusing right now.

ha ha Ruckus was confused, i wasn't!

[bold992006]

newer generation of Z/EU fans will eat it up...old schoolers (TTF-Z) fans will be even further pushed away

Wow. What about the people that can appreciate each album on it's own? Are we "new generation" or "old schoolers?"

i just think that's where the divide will be (as in an album being divisive)...it's a general statement...a lot of people don't fit anywhere, but on AVERAGE that's where the line will be drawn...

i'm not saying there aren't a ton of people in the middle who love it all or certain albums specifically, but on average, if people liked EU, then i think they'll like this album...of the 50 or so people i've talked to so far about the album, most who didn't like EU say this is on par

I've been a fan since the early days and I really don't think this matters...an album should stand on its own.  Neil Young makes albums all over the place..Crazy Horse, solo...weird albums like Trans and all kinds of things with different bands.  That really shouldn't matter.  The only thing that should matter is when you listen to it does it sound good to you.

I'm not listening to this album and going "it is too much like EU"..or it is not enought like "It Still Moves" i'm mostly going..."I don't like this..I don't think it is a good album".  Plain and simple.

[Penny Lane]

bold99----you just illustrated my point..you didn't like EU and you don't like the new album..

i said that is where the line will be drawn for most people..i'm not commenting WHY people like or don't like it...?  every album does stand on its own, that has nothing to do with my point..i just think in the end, people who didn't like EU are not going to like this...

[pawpaw]

Ruckus thank you for your reply to this post.  While I'm a new poster on this forum I've been reading and following the band through this site since I discovered them in '06.  The review by the OP'er sounds like retreads from Pearl Jam's site ever since Riot Act came out.  The guitar's this, rhythm section that, Jim shoulda sang it this way.  Same folks who get mad because the band didn't play their particular deep cut favorite during the 10th time they've seen the band live while they sit on their hands because they've lost the magic of just enjoying what's being created.  But that's just my particular opinion not being able to play a note on an instrument while having listened to a lot of music over my many years.  ::)

To be honest, I think this is one of my major beefs with music fans these days. The way that music is consumed, through entire catalogues that that can be found essentially for free over the internet if you so choose, fans invest a lot less energy in one particular band, and look too much at the big picture.

Instead of buying records from a band that writes a lot of GOOD Americana songs, modern fans only want to buy the BEST Americana songs, as objectively chosen by God-knows-who. As much as I love top 10 lists, they're a big part of the problem; they try to hold unique, worthwhile songs up to the "greatest" songs in a genre, which they will never be able to reach because those original songs defined the standards in the first place. So many modern reviewers make a living off of this type of journalism, only ever comparing albums to their influences and giving middling grades for not living up to those standards.

In the same way, if a band ever makes a "great" record, everything they do after will be judged unfairly against it. Because Circuital is somewhat similar in sound to Z, all the reviews will complain about what Circuital doesn't do that Z did: no rockers, not as innovative, etc. Yet at the same time, innovation gets frowned upon too; Z still gets criticism for not being It Still Moves Pt 2, because so many people couldn't be arsed to view the band as anything other than "southern-fried" and "alt-country". Mark my words: no publication will ever rank Circuital or any album after it as the best MMJ album.

But us saying that picking between MMJ albums is like picking between children isn't just an exaggeration; that's exactly how it is. In both cases, there's no good reason for you to be picking between them in the first place.

/rant. Enjoy Circuital. It's pretty amazing.

Traveler's Rest Dirt FTW. Good job Dark.

[My Monkey Friend]

i cannot wait to hear this album. if it doesnt floor me right off the bat, thats ok because i bet it eventually will. z gave me confused face the first few times through b/c it was different from the first 3 albums. after a week, i loved it.

[meltingaway]

gotta radiate the gold

[Jon T.]

gotta radiate the gold

Love that line! And the delivery of it.  Really the vocals on that whole track are pretty great even though it's not his "normal" voice.

[The DARK]

Looks like I set off a chain reaction!

Don't get me wrong here, you've got every right to not like this album. Just make it for reasons like "I don't like his singing style" rather than "He doesn't sing like he used to." If you really love the band, you'll be able to judge the new album on it's own terms.

Alright. Time to make the 7 hour drive home. 8)

[Honest Man]

I think people are disappointed since they expected an At Dawn, It Still Moves mix and it isn't. My only beef is it is really all over the place with the recording. Outta My System is the only song I skip over but I don't think it is their worst album. I think some of these songs are going to translate good live. We'll see....

I'm glad you know what the people expected.  You must be able to read minds.

I didn't expect that AT ALL for the record.

Wow dude it is just a forum with an opinion. The attitude really isn't necessary and yes a lot of people were expecting it from articles that were out there stating they were "returning to their roots".

[walterfredo]

I think once some of these tunes are played live, and are allowed to develop on stage...much like the EU tunes did, people will gain a whole new appreciation for some of the songs that they might not have liked with a few listens of the album. 

[MarkW]

I think people are disappointed since they expected an At Dawn, It Still Moves mix and it isn't. My only beef is it is really all over the place with the recording. Outta My System is the only song I skip over but I don't think it is their worst album. I think some of these songs are going to translate good live. We'll see....

I'm glad you know what the people expected.  You must be able to read minds.

I didn't expect that AT ALL for the record.

Easy, tiger.  Let's all try and play nicely together, shall we?

[Penny Lane]

Looks like I set off a chain reaction!

Don't get me wrong here, you've got every right to not like this album. Just make it for reasons like "I don't like his singing style" rather than "He doesn't sing like he used to." If you really love the band, you'll be able to judge the new album on it's own terms.

Alright. Time to make the 7 hour drive home. 8)

Safe travels, Mr. Dark. Glad you're getting home this weekend since your Mom is completely awesome!  ;)

[Penny Lane]

so when is it time to start a thread about why this album is a return to their roots? is it in the production? the concept overall--of circuitalness/ality (whatever the noun form of the word is?) it was recorded in an old church...for what purpose? questions questions questions...


walt-think you're right about these songs evolving for people as they're played live


15 days i'll find out !