Customer Reviews

Five

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This CD, "Five" is not a rock-groove-hook album --however what it is, to me, is a rewarding listening experience.

Along with Circus Devils concept albums "The Harold Pig Memorial" and "Pinball Mars", I have a need to hear "Five" in one sitting to have a complete musical experience.

"Five" contains real songs, but, to me, it's more of a listening and learning experience. The song structures are not obvious pop structures and, like most Circus Devils CDs, it has its share of dissonance and sound experiments.

"Five" is not as accesable and does not have obvious rock/pop reference points as the earlier Circus Devils CDs, but "Five" is well written, well recorded and performed. I can only speculate, but I believe Pollard and Tobias put lots of care and effort into this CD.

I dig the Circus Devils. I like the fact that Robert Pollard and Todd Tobias create such interesting music and make it availble to the public. I am a NYC pop music theatre songwriter and I often retreat to Circus Devils CDs to feel re-energized and inspired. I especially enjoy their CD "Pinball Mars" (Hey -- it has Two Acts and the characters come alive in the theatre in my head. It's more fun that way.).

---George Griggs

Robert Pollard has many side projects, but, with four albums, the Circus Devils have evolved into one of his most consistently rewarding and longest running side projects, and Five, to my mind, is the best Circus Devils album.

The Circus Devils specialize in textured and noise-ridden psychedelia, yet there is enough deviation from this path to give their records stylistic variety. Pollard's sense of vocal melody, even while off-key or accompanied by dissonant music, never fails him. And the textures and soundscapes of Todd Tobias always prove imaginative, evocative, and engaging.

Five contains the sudden shifts and contrasts of all Circus Devils music. Songs take hairpin turns. The bottom falls out from underneath them. Stream-of-consciousness always wins out over logic and sense in this world. But this record is not as squalling or jarring as past Circus Devils' records. Taking a much needed departure, this is surely their dreamiest and quietest record. Synths rather than dissonant guitars carry most of the songs. Many of the songs stray into a pulsing ambience.

Like all Circus Devils records this album is sequenced and structured in a way that makes it seem like one continuous, dream-like track. It is meant to be listened to start to finish in one sitting.

While this record might round the edges that previous Circus Devils albums contain, this is still not easy listening, but it is very rewarding listening for those that stick with it. If you want to explore Pollard's myriad side projects this is a great place to start or a necessary stop.