Similar Albums:
- Artist: The Autumn Defense
- Rating:
- Release Date: October 21, 2003
- Genre: Rock
Review
The Autumn Defense let down their guard on Circles, their second album, to reveal the blue-green beauty trembling beneath. Less ambitious and far more intuitive, it's a mellow stretch of earthy folk-pop, where horns and strings are used because they sound nice, not out of a self-appointed duty to past musical idols. Between John Stirratt's busy touring schedule with Wilco and Pat Sansone's multitude of production engagements, Circles exudes the ameliorative qualities of an escape record that was made during downtime, for downtime -- while mentally liberated from the pressures of the daily world, where the two writers could reflect upon the geyser of circles that is life. Sunny acoustics and vintage keys over lazy brushes set the character throughout Circles. "The Answer" rolls out a strata of guitars that suddenly reminds the listener of an old Gordon Lightfoot album, only to have the notion reinforced by the wave of strings and gentle background shakers that follow. "Some Kind of Fool" steals into brief moments of Pet Sound drama, with its bass-and-percussion breaks, but more often rides a '70s groove of vibes, Rhodes, and Bread-like guitar effects. Though comfortably stoic on their second album, the Autumn Defense maintain the charm of a perennial explorer, for whom Europe is still far away, and the California sun could still bring love back. ~ Lisa M. Smith, All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Silence | The Autumn Defense | (4:07) | |
| The Sun in California | John Stirratt, |
The Autumn Defense | (3:37) |
| Written in the Snow | John Stirratt, |
The Autumn Defense | (3:33) |
| The Answer | John Stirratt, |
The Autumn Defense | (3:34) |
| The World (Will Soon Turn Our Way) | John Stirratt | The Autumn Defense | (2:50) |
| Why I'm Like This | John Stirratt, Jeff Tweedy | The Autumn Defense | (3:37) |
| Tuesday Morning | The Autumn Defense | (4:34) | |
| Some Kind of Fool | John Stirratt, |
The Autumn Defense | (3:44) |
| Iowa City Adieu | John Stirratt | The Autumn Defense | (3:16) |
| Circles | John Stirratt, |
The Autumn Defense | (4:21) |
