Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise

Fresh out of Doylestown, PA Circa Survive are back with their brand new studio effort titled Blue Sky Noise. The follow up to 2007's On Letting Go finds the band picking up where the last album left off with a richly melodic and dynamic effort that pushes the group to another musical pedestal and stands out among the pack of albums out there today.

The album kicks off with "Strange Terrain", a unique and melodic track that warmly greets you with the amazing lead vocals of Anthony Green that powers the song all the way through without much trouble. The disc's first single, "Get Out", is a powerful and blasting track featuring fierce guitars and Anthony's impeccable vocals once again taking charge here. "I Felt Free" is a slowed down, relaxing number that switches gears a bit, but still maintains the strong work ethic that was omnipresent on the earlier tracks with dynamic rhythms and pulsating vocals. "Imaginary Enemy" picks up the pace a little bit with a melodic juggernaut that provides some agility for the disc heading into the next song and beyond.

Over on the other side of the disc, the warm and ethereal beauty of "Frozen Creek" awaits you with mid tempo guitar riffs and Anthony's breathtaking vocals guiding the song along with ease. "Fever Dreams" contains an indelible acoustic guitar riff and a creative drum pattern that puts the song on a course far apart than where the album is headed. Anthony's talents shine in full effect on "Spirit in the Stairwell", my favorite track off the album. The mostly acoustic track presents Anthony and Co. in their purest form, an unbelievable track that deserves a second listen when you're done listening to it. We begin to wrap things up with "The Longest Mile", an intensely melodic number that takes all the musical elements found here on the disc, and presents it in one cohesive package. "Dyed in the Wool" rounds out the disc on a mid tempo scale with insatiable rhythms and a choir heard faintly in the background that closes out the disc in grand fashion. Anthony Green has made a name of himself in the local Philadelphia music scene, as he was a member of This Day Forward and has toured with a number of Philly bred bands, including Good Old War and Person L. Anthony was also frontman for the California based Saosin back in 2003 before leaving the group the next year to form Circa Survive. With this album, Anthony Green has cemented himself as one of the preeminent lead vocalists in indie rock and also has one of the best voices I've ever heard in quite some time.

To sum it all up, Circa Survive have put together a wonderful effort here that presents a band living up to its fullest potential and is an album that is real, genuine, and authentic and makes it feel like Anthony and the band are performing right in front of you and interacting with you at the same time.

                                                                                                                               Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. Strange Terrain
2. Get Out
3. Glass Arrows
4. I Felt Free
5. Imaginary Enemy
6. Through the Desert Alone
7. Frozen Creek
8. Fever Dreams
9. Spirit of the Stairwell
10. The Longest Mile
11. Compendium
12. Dyed in the Wool