the progrssive / psych folk/folk-rock of
Circulus

MCD (1999); CD (2005); (with Marian Segal): CD (2007) ; CD (2009)











Instant Farm                      Circulus : Giantism (UK,1999)***°

The tracks differ from various UK acid folkrock drenged pop to acid folk pop. Included is also a beautiful folk version of the medieval "My Lady Carey's Dompe". The folk pop songs are nice too. The accompanying instrumental work out is very colourful and with proportioned contrasts. In that way the usual way to interprete / elaborate traditionals has been beautifully enriched.
Other quotes from a review of Giantism in Ptolomaic Terrascope :

..."Fronted by the delightfully-named Emma Steele, a vocalist who has clearly spent an hour-or-two in the thrall of Celia Humpries, and with devastating skills invested throughout its membership, not least in the West-Coast guitar work of Eric Anholm and various instruments of Michal Tyack (guitar,lute, banjo and saz), Circulus are poised to storm the citadel of electric tradition in emphatic fasion."...
..."The songs are both craftily constructed and the instrumentation thrusts them into the realm of the extraordinary : make no mistake, Circulus are traditionalist with panache and folk-rock torchbleachers of Olympian proportions."

The single "Wouldn't dream of.." is more ok good alternative pop styled, but falls less within the range of my chosen interest. According to a listen to a later recorded live track I believe the group evolved here any how into more alternative pop teritory.

Webpage with soundfile at http://stage.vitaminic.co.uk/circulus
Homepage with soundfiles : www.circulus.org
Contact the group : circulus@btinternet.com & circulus@circulus.org or circulus.folk@virgin.net
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Rise Above RecordsCirculus : The lick on the tip of an envelope yet to be sent (UK,2005)****

Wow, what a progression since their two earlier EP’s from 1999 and 2001 ! Circulus have evolved with this release a perfect and strong folkrock style with progressive leanings, and a medieval touch here and there. They use a lot of instruments. The nice vocal harmonies on “Swallow” remind me of some of Sandy Denny’s groups ; it seems to be guest vocalist Marianne Segal who is performing with the band on an unreleased Jade song. “The Aphid” is a more progressive improvisational track. The keyboards have slightly more symphonic touches too. An extremely strong first full album, strongly recommended.

Audio : "Miri It Is" (or here), "My Body is made of Sunlight", "The Scarecrow", "Orpheus" (or here),
"Power to the Pixies" ; Homepage : http://www.circulus.org/ Label : http://www.riseaboverecords.com
Info on group : http://www.riseaboverecords.com/circulus/index.html
Other reviews : http://www.guardian.co.uk/... & http://www.stylusmagazine.com/...
& http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/2345 & http://www.playlouder.com/review/+a-lick-on-the-ti/
& http://www.nme.com/reviews/11969.htm & http://www.freakemporium.com/...
& http://www.disagreement.net/...
Metal heads review this album : http://www.metal-invader.com/... & http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/...
& http://www.quintessence.sh/... & http://www.pitfather.com/...
Dutch review : http://www.platomania.nl/maniagenre.asp?cdid=17969&platomanianr=206
Article : http://www.playlouder.co.uk/feature/+circulus-0/

In 2007 Circulus cooperated again with Marianne Segal on her latest album. Review ->
Snow Beach Rec.Marian Segal featuring Circulus : The Gathering (UK,2007)**°°

Also Marianne Segal is back, first with a reissue of her first album (from 1972) some years ago (,with a band called Jade aka Silver Jade, a name taken on the US pressing not to confuse with the US prog band Jade in those days), then a reissue of some really nice unreleased songs from her project before that with Dave Waite (1967-1969), and now finally with something new. It was so that after the two reissues the original band had reformed for a one-off concert in London, where Michael Tyack from Circulus happened to be there. With Circulus she recorded her song “Swallow” on Circulus' first full CD. This was only the beginning of a longer term cooperation, of which these tracks are the result. It is neither really folk or pop, or rock, but there are moments the singer-songwriter inspirations are fronted and backed with band arrangements, of which some of these arrangements depending on the song mood are either folkier (“September Song”)/old English (with Crumhorn) with string arrangements (“Lapis Wings”) or rockier (like “Circle round the sun” with funky vibed guitar, Wurlitzer piano, bluesy harmonica). “Saints On Tapestry is a powerful convincing expression of a songwriter with great string arrangements, rock guitar, some flute,.. “Root People” is another surprise of an arrangement with Ozric sequenced bass and heavy psychedelic guitar by Bill Steer (Firebird). But on the end there are also a few mellower nostalgic inspirations, a logic inclusion considering how long many 60s/70s artists had to wait until recently before finding a new interest since then, but these sounds are also well adapted into the concept, giving a realistic multiphased vision on gathering inspirations and musicians for such a new project.

Audio : "September Song","Lapis Wings","Circle Round The Sun","Saints On Tapestry", "Root People", "Kicking Up The Sands Of Time", "Sussex Downs", "Dreamers"
Info : http://www.spiralearth.co.uk/news/story.asp?pg=newsarticle&nid=551
& interview : http://www.spiralearth.co.uk/interviews/marianne-segal-interview.asp
Homepage : http://www.mariannesegal-jade.com

Links to reviews of previous Circulus releases : http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/Psychfolkpopreview.html..
& http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview13.html..
& next release : http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview28.html#anchor_1099

Marianne Segal solo release reviewed on http://singersong.homestead.com/MarianneSegal.html
Mythical Cake Rec. Circulus : Thought Becomes Reality (UK,2009)****

Despite that I knew already how people see easily some ‘science fiction’ and ‘Aliens’, like wrongly understood interpretations of the esotheric or religious associations in some descriptions of ideas about the creation of the earthly beings and people, as if all these descriptions written down in poetic visions or in theoretic explanations are about something completely physical, in each detail of its expression, while in reality they are about different sorts of evolutions than on a physical level, and are about something governed by different but also steering principles that make them another part of reality, like for instance as a ‘creative principle’ to name it more simply, something which in its essence is supposed to be more known and understood and steered by some creatures somewhere, in history, or of which are more produced by a certain level of experience, which had also some structural preparations to make this happen, before evolving more and more consciously,.. I still was intriguiged by the idea that some people made from this (like the French Raël’s even rather simplified visions about the idea) that the creators of Mankind and the creators on Earth (the Elohim) were actually aliens (??...). But even in theosophy there exists some ideas that make suggestions that these creative constructors, who took care of the developments of all creations on earth, had a physical existence at that stage (so no “light beings” or “Angels” in the background here, just like other creatures with their own comparable sort of evolution plan and existence, even when started long before our evolution), so now I don’t know what to think of this possibility of a reality any longer.
Another idea which does not bother me personally so much but many people do make spins around this is the Mayan calender, a circular stone with calculates of time evolutions until 2012 (-it is a circle in the first place, so why should we panic as if even the circle itself should end in 2012, together with the whole world, so why not universe). “The final Judgement” therefore now is placed by some fantasists, after so many other dates before this, in 2012, where some people might be “chosen” to be beamed up by UFO’s to be saved from world’s destruction.

It is this sort of Science Fiction fantasy which is used here to give this a musical concept with a positive perspective to go to somewhere better, when beamed up by these mushroom-UFO’s to some new paradise state. In our temporally state of world crisis and degenerations of cultural and human habits, I think this is a good excuse and idea and new possibility to create such an imaginable island of good energy. And, like the front cover says, “thoughts becomes reality”, this does not only say that we must be aware of our responsibility of what we do now and how we could imagine it to change, into destruction or something else, Circulus makes that musical island’s opportunity, as an expression of cultural richness of the past as an opportunity today, as something which might be able to be saved for later, indeed. I mean, this gives a comparable world which once was expressed and started by a group like Gryphon in the 70s, as medieval folk-rock with crumhorns and flutes, with medieval dances the right renewed and transformed energy of this to do something with it today. This is partly a story songbook, about beeming the band up to new worlds, in song, creating a whirling medieval folk dance energy, so that it makes them ready to be beemed up while aliens in the background, like elves or pixies, enthusiastically drive the engine up until, they are ready and come into this new paradise, celebrating there the old folk dances, saved from this world, with heavy guitars, with a powerful sound. Yes, the band’s sound developed into something really enjoyable, a new sort of folk-rock with medieval flairs, into its own unique expression. Well done !

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/circulus
Info : http://rikowski.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/thought-becomes-reality-by-circulus/
& http://www.spiralearth.co.uk/news/story.asp?nid=1859

Interview : http://www.spiralearth.co.uk/interviews/Michael-tyack-interview.asp
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