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- Artist: Circle
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1998
- Genre: Rock
Review
Circle has concocted a very interesting blend of driving prog rock/art rock (à la King Crimson) and more textural elements reminiscent of post-rock bands like Tortoise. Pori is a concept album of sorts, dedicated to their hometown of Pori, Finland. This concept is probably a bit difficult to grasp for Americans, since the lyrics are either in Finnish or Meronian, a language the band made up. Besides, the album is almost entirely instrumental. The tunes themselves feature odd time signatures and polyrhythmic interplay, with interlocking guitar riffs blending with analog synthesizers. This is lean, mean progressive rock, not bloated, Rick Wakeman-style stuff. Circle tends to find a good groove and work it, subtly varying the instrumental parts as a piece progresses. The longer tracks are broken up by several shorter pieces, which tend to be darker in tone and feature violin and cello in more of a chamber jazz setting. At the other end of the spectrum, "Back to Pori" weds a pounding, post-punk guitar riff with sparse, almost Gregorian chant-like vocals. "Promenaadikeskus" features a guitar skronk duel that sounds like it could be Arto Lindsay versus Andy Ex of the Ex. The album closes by bringing the energy down a notch and adding jazzy saxophone for "Porin Jazzjuhlat 65." All in all, Pori is a solid, interesting album that should appeal to both fans of Red/Larks' Tongues-era King Crimson as well as the more rocking side of the post-rock spectrum, like Tortoise or Trans-Am. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Perustamisasiakirja 8-3-1558 | Circle | Circle | (3:40) |
| Vesitorni/Kaupunginsairaala | Circle | Circle | (8:07) |
| Back to Pori | Circle | Circle | (4:58) |
| Suurpalo | Circle | Circle | (2:08) |
| Kartano | Circle | Circle | (7:23) |
| Promenaadikaskus | Circle | Circle | (7:25) |
| Kruunu Paaha Pori Kuningas | Circle | Circle | (9:03) |
| Seisomakatsomo | Circle | Circle | (2:47) |
| Karhun Hansaa | Circle | Circle | (5:50) |
| Porin Jazz Juhlat | Circle | Circle | (13:48) |
