Circa Survive – Juturna

All I can say is what happened? Circa Survive were supposed to be a power group of unimaginable proportions. First off all, the band is composed of former members of Taken along with former members ofThis Day Forward. That’s impressive right away, but the real clincher is the singer. Over the years, Anthony Green has built a steady and ever growing fan base. He’s sung for bands like Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer, The Sound Of Animals Fighting and most famously, Saosin. Just after hearing the band members, Juturna is sounding pretty damn good in most people’s opinions. And yet, I still ask, what happened?

First and foremost, let me say, I’ve never understood the appeal of Green’s voice. Although I haven’t followed it religiously, the few times I’ve heard him sing (Saosin‘s Translating The Name EP for example), I haven’t been impressed. So generally speaking, I wasn’t too surprised to find myself slightly disappointed by the vocal harmonies on this album. Green is able to, like always, hit a wide range of pitches and tones. Reaching such high octaves you sometimes forget that it’s a guy singing rather then a girl. But quite frankly, I just picture of a cheesy Claudio Sanchez (Coheed And Cambria) rip off throughout the entire album.

Musically, Circa Survive is really unlike anyone else out there. Once again, it brings forth images of Sanchez and Coheed And Cambria, but even that is a distant relation. For Juturna is much more atmospheric. Spacey pop melodies on a much larger scale then anything Coheed has ever done. It is evident that the talented individuals that compose Circa Survive were striving for something new and unique on their debut album. Something unlike anything else, something that isn’t redundant or cliché, but rather something much more innovative and original. It is melodic and eerie, very complex and tight; but at times, it is missing that punch which makes the cliché sounds so memorable. They try hard to be different, which makes them somewhat forgettable.

This album isn’t all bad though, after all, it can’t be with this many big names in it. It features a few good songs which would fit nicely by themselves or in mix CDs. But as a whole, Juturna is not that entertaining. It seems to be dragged on, and just not that enjoyable. It’s more of an atmospheric background album then a sing along one. But then again, if you are one of Green’s enthusiastic followers, then you will most likely enjoy this album to the fullest.

On the plus side, the artwork is damn cool.