RUSSIAN CIRCLES

Guidance
(Sargent House)

There are very few musicians who can create an album that perfectly balances the elements of lightness and darkness. The three-piece instrumental group, Russian Circles, released their sixth album Guidance on Aug. 5, creating a very new breed of instrumental noise, separating themselves even from their past albums.

The third track on the album, “Mota,” begins with a peculiarly uplifting cacophony of guitars and drums. The first half of the track seems like the background song for a scene in a movie where the main character has just overcome some arduous burden. About halfway through “Mota,” that soaring feeling suddenly dissipates and settles into an anticipatory arrangement of drums and guitar, with a focus on the depth of the bass.

After building up a short sense of apprehension, the instruments descend into their familiar roles of an ominous mass of sound. This style is certainly a departure from their last few albums, which have been incredibly, but also comfortably, dark: a whirlpool of catharsis and catastrophe that one cannot help but adore.

The tracks on the album seem to meld into each other creating one long and oddly emotional symphony. The track “Afrika” is one of the more tame songs on the albums, a harmony of light guitars with a steady and heavy drumbeat.

here aren’t many bands akin to that of Russian Circles who are currently producing today. They have taken the esoteric and obscure and created something genuine. This track exemplifies the darkness and lightness that the trio masters, creating a visceral and emotive track without truly falling apart.