OK put the genre lists down. I am talking to myself here as well as any curious fool that reads this.
To put this frankly batshit collective in a box would be a travesty. When I read the accompanying blurb talking of a “quasi-concept album about an eschatological event caused by a digitally communicable mental disease” I didn’t know whether to run towards it or far, far away. Then there is mention of Glitch pop, industrial gaze, prog, dark jazz and grindcore and I expected a jumble sale of odds and ends slapped onto a cork board and nail-gunned in place.
What an idiot I was! Narci is bloody marvellous. A schizoid circus freak covered in strawberry blancmange bouncing on your heart strings and forcing you to leave this plain existence for a twisted world of oscillating and shapeshifting delights and nightmares.
Go check out the video for “single” -’We Need Legends’ it will give you crumb of what Circle of Sighs are about. Six stringed bass grooves, synth drums, double bass and mad glitchy riffs get into your skull like the worm thing in Wrath Of Khan. It’s like Zappa, Les Claypool, Dalek and Kraftwerk had a lovechild before heading off on a dark stoner path.
The rest of Narci does not disappoint – it is an eclectic mix with twists and turns that stimulate the mind as well as the musical soul of this dumb punk.
The ten-minute opener “Spectral Arms” mixes in an intro of acoustic dark folk /prog before going full on electric Prog and then damn heavy yobtastic dooooom. Then just as the rumble looks set to crack the concrete a gentle piano accompanies a light Floydy vocal and a bass as warm as the Med kicks in. Then it all ends in a cacophony of filth and regret with some razor-sharp black metal riffs and rasps. This then leads to the aforementioned “We Need Legends”.
Once the greatness of that track fades from your consciousness it is over to the synth android prog doom of “A Crystal Crown of Cosmic Pain” (I thought I put that genre list down dammit!). Like Gary Numan meets Ufomammut with Trent Reznor feeding them all grapes. Then it is back in time and space to the mid 70’s with brush drumming of the Dark Side of the Moon era prog doom of “Roses Blue” – once the rasped fry scream vocals turn up things really start cookin’!
After a brief break to allow a small Southern sounding child to evangelise on Segue 04 it is onto the title track. Wow! “Narci” as a track is stripped bare noise meets hardcore with big stoner riffs. The production is dirty and makes it sound like it was recorded on a reel to reel in the bathroom of an old factory. The kind of place that the Sawyer family hang out in pre-lunch. Then a saxophone sounding like it leapt out of Twin Peaks wanders in and things get a lil bit lounge jazz.
The opening of “Heaven Flames” features some synths that conjure up a giant rock monster farting – is Jim Henson behind this? Minimalist drums and a dark brooding vocals join in for a 90’s Crow sequel soundtrack cod Gothic schtick that I actually dig. A bit. OK more than a bit.
“The Man who Stole the Wind” which completes the album is a bit of a surprise. A slice of Americana with more than a whiff of Jon Bon Jovi at his steel horse riding best/worst. OK there are some spacey synths but this is still Stetson wearing stuff. The vocals are a little on the nose but, like the track that precedes it the cheesiness tugs at the right places and I drop my snobbishness and get into it just in time for a massive riff with Hammond backing to kick in! It almost seems moot to say I was surprised by the last two tracks on here as everything that this anonymous collective have put together on Narci is a surprise and the lack of mad jazziness and extremity at the end lifts the other tracks. Circle of Sighs have dropped a true slab of eclecticism that will have me coming back for more.
(8/10 Matt Mason)
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