NYS Music 20​15

Tag: Circles Around the Sun

  • Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Albums, Overall

    The past year has been a great year for music. In addition to the great albums released by New York artists, there have been some excellent albums released around the world. The NYS Music team picked their favorite albums of 2015. This is just a sampling of those albums.

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    Courtney Barnett released her critically acclaimed debut Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit back in March. The 27 year old Australian singer/songwriter has received nothing but praise. Will Hermes, reviewing it for NPR, says:

    Barnett’s facility for wordplay and compressed narrative has more in common with great rappers than pop songwriters, and her debut is the best rock record I’ve heard this year. She’s a poet of panic attacks and short attention spans and the kind of heartbreak that always seems to be following right in your blind spot.

    In his five-star review for The Guardian, Everett True writes “listening to most – if not all – of Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit is a richly rewarding experience, one that increases with each listen.” Rolling Stone’s Jon Dolan gave the album 4.5 stars and said “wherever Barnett ends up, we’re going to want to go with her.”

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    Holly Bowling has been getting the attention of Phish fans around the nation with her solo piano covers of their repertoire, the most well-know of which being the “Tahoe Tweezer.” The release of her crowd-funded album, Distillation of a Dream, was much anticipated. Bringing a fresh look at the music of Phish, it’s no wonder everyone who gave it a listen fell instantly in love. The first disc of the double album offers her interpretation of studio tracks, while the second disc covers live jams as performed by Phish. Bowling “does justice to the variety of songs she chose for the album.” Reviewing the album, I wrote:

    Overall, Distillation of a Dream is a solid, creative tribute to Phish. The album reflects the difference between studio Phish as heard on disc one, and live Phish as heard on disc two. Bowling’s musicality, experience and talent are in full display on this album. The creativity and effort put into the re-creation of these Phish songs and jams make for a fun and interesting listen.

    Many great albums were released in 2015, and while we can’t review all of them, some other picks by our staff include Todd Rundgren’s Global, Trey Anastasio’s Paper Wheels, Fear Factory’s Genexus, Circles Around the Sun Interludes for the Dead and Faith No More’s Sol Invictus. From debut albums to comeback albums, 2015 had some great releases that are not to be missed!

    [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKP98hDBJ8w&list=PLZnIUmBPJGRmDbnrtHd00eybNRXHLieC_[/embedyt]

  • Hearing Aide: Circles Around the Sun “Interludes For the Dead”

    Back in July, two giant stadiums, one in Santa Clara, CA and the other in Chicago, IL, held five shows between them in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead.  When fans arrived for the Fare Thee Well shows, they were welcomed to soothing sounds that filled the air before the show started. Set break and post-show also played this same music to fans as they were heading from their seats to grab a drink, meet with friends or leave the stadium for the evening. Fans were curious as to where this music was originating, as it had never been heard before.  Touches of Grateful Dead notes were hinted at throughout, but it was never an exact replica or clear match to being the Grateful Dead.  However, the music had a familiar touch about it, but it could not be pinpointed.  Who was behind this magical music?

    Not long after the reunion run ended, it came to light that Neal Casal was the man behind the music between sets at the reunion shows.  Casal, best known as the guitar player for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, was approached by Justin Kreutzmann to assist with the musical side of the production during the breaks. Casal got together with three other musicians, bassist Dan Horne, drummer Mark Levy, and keyboardist Adam MacDougall, to create the music that would soon become a part of the Grateful Dead history forever. Over the course of a few days, the group put together over four and a half hours of “walk in music” for the reunion shows.  The album, Interludes For the Dead, contains the music that grew out of these magical recording sessions over a short period of time. Though the music was originally created specifically for use at the reunion shows, due to an overwhelming demand by fans, it has been put together and released in album form.

    When the tracks were being created, it was all done free-form, as the musicians flowed to where their hearts brought them musically. What they created was simply magical. Never anticipating the music being released to the public, the artists pushed some songs to over 25 minutes in length, which tests the boundaries of fitting on one side of a vinyl album. The longest song, “Farewell Franklins,” clocks in at 25:05 minutes.

    The flow of the music throughout this album maintains the same continuous mystical aura, as the notes hint and touch upon slight rhythms of Grateful Dead tunes. In addition, some songs follow the same themes of particular Grateful Dead tunes. For example, “Scarlottas Magnolias” has obvious hints of “Scarlet Begonias,” and “Scarlet Wheel” touches upon “The Wheel.” In addition, some tracks are named for specific people or stories. “Gilbert’s Groove” is named after Gilbert Shelton, the artist behind the cover artwork for The Grateful Dead’s Shakedown Street album.  “Hallucinate a Solution” was named for a quote Phil Lesh said before going onstage one evening during a Phil and Friends show. Casal had been performing with him, and a discussion came up regarding a difficult transition between two songs.  Lesh’s solution was to “hallucinate a solution,” hence the song named in his honor.

    Overall, the album that was never to be is crammed with mysterious tones that overlap transcendental notes and waves of creative bliss from beginning to end. This unexpected release easily hits the heart of fans of all genres, as it clearly falls into a category all its own. Allowing the music to flow from the heart, without the added pressure of producing an album from the get go, is what makes this album beautiful. A delight to the eardrums, each tune offers up gorgeously fluid sounds that take listeners on a journey of pleasurable surprises as the tracks drift from one to the next.

    Each track is completely different, yet similar, with the low key grooves that are maintained.  “Hallucinate A Solution” is chock full of hip beats, while “Gilberts Groove” brings it down with a funky vibe.  Jazzy edges are sliced into “Kaseys Bones,” while the mood takes a 180 with a mystical “Space Wheel.” The longest track, “Farewell Franklins,” picks up the beat with a soulful organ and crisp guitar chords that join arm in arm.  The album closes with the shortest tune, “Mountains of the Moon,” at just over five minutes in length. This spacey jam takes listeners on a trippy ride through quiet tones intertwined with cosmic hues, sculpting a perfect ending to this remarkably harmonious recording.

    Overall, Interludes For the Dead takes listeners from soulful jazz lines to funky, psychedelic punches and everything in between.  The free style jamming the musicians put into each track takes you on a magical ride through riffs that soothe the soul, relax the mind and provide endless colorful vibrations of energy. This is perfect music for any occasion, whether a long car ride, stretching to yoga or trying to calm from a hard day’s work. This is the album that belongs on everyone’s playlist. This will soon become one of your top albums played again and again.

    Key Tracks: Hallucinate A Solution, Farewell Franklins, Saturdays Children

  • Fare Thee Well Setbreak Music to be Released as ‘Interludes for the Dead’

    Those lucky enough to have attended or watched a stream of the Fare Thee Well concerts this summer, celebrating 50 years of the Grateful Dead, will remember the psychedelic jams played during the intermissions. The band behind the music is called Circles Around the Sun, and they have compiled those songs into an album to be released on Rhino as Interludes for the Dead.

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    Neal Casal, lead guitarist and co-songwriter for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and part-time member of Phil Lesh & Friends, convened a group of musicians as Circles Around the Sun specifically for creation of music for the Fare Thee Well intermissions. The new band composed and recorded the songs over the course of a two-day jam session.

    According to a press release announcing the forthcoming album:

    The project began when Casal was asked by video director Justin Kreutzmann to compose and record more than five hours of original music to be played along with the visuals Kreutzmann was preparing for the Fare Thee Well intermissions. “The idea was to not only show reverence for the past but to ultimately, move it forward. If there’s anything to be learned from the Grateful Dead, it is to dissolve your boundaries, push your limits, and discover your own voice in this world,” explains Casal.

    Circles Around the Sun consists of Casal on guitar, Adam MacDougall (Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Phil Lesh & Friends) on keyboards, Dan Horne (Beachwood Sparks, Jonathan Wilson) on bass and Mark Levy (The Congress) on drums. All the music was written collectively with nothing prepared prior to the band’s formation.

    Interludes for the Dead will be available on Nov. 27. It will be released digitally as well as in a two-CD package. Additionally, a 180-gram vinyl version will be available on the same day in a limited edition of 5,000 as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday event.

    Interludes for the Dead track listing:

    Disc One

    1. Hallucinate A Solution
    2. Gilbert’s Groove
    3. Kasey’s Bones
    4. Space Wheel

    Disc Two

    1. Ginger Says
    2. Farewell Franklins
    3. Saturday’s Children
    4. Scarlotta’s Magnolias
    5. Hate And Cane
    6. Mountains Of The Moon

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