Circa Survive "Blue Sky Noise"

Circa Survive make good records, and usually do not sound as I would expect them to. Why? For the longest time I have associated them with the sound of FFTL, and the grungy sound of their debut, or at least the song that rode on the wings of pestilence. I expect them to sound real angry and posture their anger, but instead they just make interesting songs that sound like they came from “Strange Terrain.” I love Green’s voice, it is very distinctive for what their genre they are labeled; the first song has a bouncy rhythm that, coupled with his voice, sound as if it was watered with classic rock ideals and some modern knob twiddles for good measure. I’ll name one person for the next song: Florence Welch. We’ll just say that it’s an inside joke; one of the last songs on that album, and when he sings “daylight.” “Get Out!” No, really. That and The Used. This next song is like "Glass Arrows" directly in your ears; it has pummeling drums, but a hooky melody to make it a sweet pain. The song’s heaviest moment is when the children’s choir yells “I don’t want excuses/I don’t want apologies.”  It is understandable because it sounds like the song is for those kids that disappear and never return. This is a song dedicated to that person that you were always there for, whether they wanted it or not, and took your dependence for granted, becoming an “Imaginary Enemy.” Well, because they just shut you out of their life. “Through The Desert Alone” is about the theft of the love that Green had shared with his other; they never had the chance to retrieve it “Just because we'll never pay the ransom.” The next song starts off sounding like a G’N’R tribute and ends like something that would occur in a Death Cab. It may have been a “Frozen Creek,” but the ice wasn’t thick enough to sustain the weight. Plunging into the water, which was surprisingly deep for a creek, I could hear lead guitar (interesting sound considering its context) which would score these “Fever Dreams.” The steady beat sounds like it caught the funk, or went to a disco, and has gone tribal! While the protagonist sings about this horrid episode of consequence he was dreaming, but “I didn't realize/I was awake.” The “Spirit of The Stairwell” lingers as long as “The Longest Mile” is often the first, as well as the last, and the heart can only take so much cardio before it collapses. This one feels longer for some reason, but then it also has a tempo hiccup which sounds nice. If this song really is a “Compendium” they know how to keep secrets, but they do know how to pique interest for about two minutes; with multiple styles, and more said than could be in a song twice as long by some of their peers. Favorites: Strange Terrain, Get Out, Imaginary Enemy, Frozen Creek, Compendium, and Dyed in the Wool.