Customer Reviews

Burning Circle & Then Dust

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first of the "later" Lycia stuff, if one were to split up their discography into earlier, four-track recordings up to and including _...Stark Corner_ (the half that I think is actually a bit better) and latter-half material beginning with this rather momentous double-disc. That would be in keeping with the theme of this album, too, being all immersed in new beginnings and phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes kind of ideas. The trademark single-string guitar parts with their chorused, resonant sound, are kind of buried in the mix amongst the shimmering electronics and atmosphere, which I think is kind of a nice, faraway effect. And, as always, Mike Van Portfleet continues his infatuation with the ponderous 6/8 rhythms which serve his music so well. The two discs kind of offset each other nicely, too, the first being more guitar-oriented and the second being more keyboard/ambient oriented. They really can be listened to like two separate albums, but carry on similar themes, and fit together like two halves of a whole. It's hard to imagine one without the other. Highlights of the second disc include then-newcomer Tara Vanflower's two now-familiar ecstasy-ballads (excuse all the hyphenation), "Nimble" and "Surrender." On "Nimble" she poetically intertwines eroticism and spirituality, and it's a gorgeous song, but the ideas seem to lack direction; it's unclear whether she means to invoke eroticism to express spirituality or vice versa. "The New Day," the final track of this whole opus, is one of the most uplifting Lycia songs ever, with Mike triumphantly declaring the beginning of a new era in life, and an end to frustration and heartache.

When I first listened to this, and had gotten through the first five or six tracks, I thought "man, are there no weak songs on this whole thing? " As if having jinxed it, it turns out that about halfway through the first disc the material begins to devolve somewhat into more or less "filler" material, which is still good since it's Lycia and I find they can't go wrong no matter what they've done, but just not quite as inspired as the rest of it. This patch lasts for half a dozen tracks, at most, on the first disc. But overall, Lycia are just so consistent, it always bowls me over and is probably a major reason why I like them so much. They make music just the way they should.

I like Lycia's music for how strong a sense of weather and environment it creates. Heck, the next album was titled "Cold." "The Burning Circle and Then Dust" can induce an alpha state with its infinite reverb and wet guitar. The songs are slow, except for the Christian-radio viable "Pray," the most uptempo song Lycia ever did. Van Portfleet's vocals are ghostly like always, and most of Disc A is in kind of a waltzy 6/4 time. The blend of church bells, guitars and synth is beautiful. The lyrics are sung slowly enough that you can make them out after a couple of listens. A prior reviewer wrote that the songs sound the same - yeah, true. If you like Lycia, it sounds like the songs are serving a consistent theme. The leisurely pace implies the singer's melancholy; it's soothing but not boring. The drum tracks, especially on this release and on "Ionia," kept Lycia from being lumped in with the Narada new-age market. It's a bummer that Lycia did only three danceable songs among seven albums ("Ionia", "Distant Eastern Glare" and "Pray"). Disc B is alright, but not as good as the first. Most of these tracks are in Van Portfleet's earlier 4-track style. "Silence and Distance" is the standout and could've been the Disc A finale, making a REALLY powerful 1-cd album. It's interesting to hear Lycia's "second sound" develop from "A Day in The Stark Corner" through "The Burning Circle..." to the awesome "Cold". If you've got some time to relax at sunset (or sunrise), this is one of Lycia's best mood albums. Lycia stands out among goth-ambient music because instead of focusing on the darkness and evil in the basement, it invites you look up to the sky and shiver with the thought of how small we really are.

This is one of the best albums i've ever bought! Lycia was the band that got me introduced to the entire Projekt label (which i encourage you to check out if you like Lycia.) Some people say this album is a bit boring, but i just find it calm and soothing. It has a very ambient feeling to it, and by simply listening to this CD, you are sent into a trance-like state, and your mind opens within this new-found darkness. my personal favorite would be, The Burning Circle, PT II. That song is a spectacular song that is so beautifull that it makes me want it to last longer. The chord progression and the synths used in that song and throughout all of Lycia's music really help make it dramatic and emotional. This CD is pretty inexpensive, its beautifull, and its well worth every penny you spend on it.

Lycia is a needle in a haystack. Truly one of a kind. The sadness that the music brings into my world is undescribable. I started drinking the first time listened to it.

This CD is one of my favorite CD from LYCIA. I've been a Lycia fan for over 6 years and this is there most expressive CD.The expressive, dramatic music of the enviormenet of the dessert, and The starkness of the atmosphere bring the dessert alive again. I can still feel the dust dancing around me when I listen to it all the time.

Lycia emerged as something beyond anything they had done before this album and then toppled it all. This album let the world of this small band know just how much they could offer. In This album thier format changed by basic mechanics and at the same time Lycia became more entertaining. I indulged in this album so greatly when it was released and now nearly 10 years later I'm stil listening to it with its charm guiding me. Lycia I would not say are one of my favorite bands yet they never lacked thier charm... especially late dark nights when you can truely and irreveresebly feel them.

Lycia brought so much thicker sound to this album... they brought acoustics and much more fluid beats and variations on all thier musical integrity. The production evolved dramatiacally from thier albums before but they still had thier ambiamt goth/rock basics. Thier albums before were still and are still very beautiful but not half as easy to swallow on a more rich production scale.

Enjoy and indulge in this rich band. Their music is to be appreciated and enjoyed in its oceanic motions. I hope as the years go by many will contintue to discover the music Mike Van Portfeelt and Tara Van Flower and David Galas had to offer. They destroyed much of thier gothic counterparts for not being gothic... they were simply themselves in a darker scene then too often genuflects its own decadence.

Thumbs up to Lycia. Enjoy this music... its what they always wanted you to do.

Greatest band alive. I love there older stuff more, but every cd has been great. Start with Ionia, then Wake, then The day in the stark corner, then the burning circle and then dust. Grab the live cd as well. Cold and Estrella aren't that great because the girl sings on most of the tracks. Don't get me wrong she can sing, but the guy is much better.

I'm not to fond of this and it discouraged me from getting any more Lycia discs. The songs sound to similar to me and i thin Van Portfleets vocals try to hard to be dark and goth like. i like some of the instrumentals and a few other songs but mostly the songs just float into each other. I rarley listen to it and listening to both discs in a row puts me to sleep, quite ok mood music to play in the background though.