shoegaze

Album Review: Low Flying Hawks — “Fuyu”

Angela BlockLeave a comment

Masters of shoegaze, Low Flying Hawks, have returned with their third full-length release and final part of their musical trilogy centering on the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphos, King of Corinth.  The story is of the trickster king who cheated death twice and was then punished by the gods to spend eternity pushing a massive rock up a hill.  Every time he neared the top, the rock slipped and rolled back down for him to start the grueling process over again.  This conclusion album titled Fuyu means “winter” in Japanese and centers on the ups and downs and struggle of life.  It is an emotive and beautiful album that stands perfectly on its own while also acting as the last piece of the puzzle in the band’s five-year long project.

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Rainbows in the Dark: A Sea of Dead Trees — “Garmonbozia”

IanLeave a comment

THAT GUM YOU LIKE IS GOING TO COME BACK IN STYLE.  I guess by “that gum,” I mean the Glasgow based shoegaze project A Sea of Dead Trees, and by “back in style,” I mean “release a new album called Garmonbozia.”  In case you haven’t figured it out by now, a lot of this album, and this review subsequently, are going to be loosely themed around the David Lynch masterpiece Twin Peaks, but that’s certainly far from the only surprise awaiting those who dive into Garmonbozia, nor is the whole album a tongue-in-cheek media reference.  There is a lot of honest emotional depth waiting deep beyond those beautiful metaphorical Douglas firs.

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Receiving the Evcharist: Lantlôs and Paso Dragon

VincentLeave a comment
Receiving the Evcharist 2018

Receiving the Evcharist is our weekly feature where we pair choice albums with our favorite libations. Drink from the cup of heresy. This week’s offering: Lantlôs’ Wildhund and Paso Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon

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The Nine Circles Audio Thing: An Autumn For Crippled Children was May 2021’s Album of the Month!

ninecirclesadminLeave a comment

Episode 83 of The Nine Circles Audio Thing covers the ninth release from An Autumn For Crippled Children, As the Morning Dawns We Close Our Eyes. Buke once again captains the episode with, again, a light cast of the usual suspects and one we haven’t heard from in awhile. The merry band of chatters break down the album, band, and its past releases. Head inside for the complete rundown.

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The Nine Circles Audio Thing: Chris and Dan count down their Non-Metal Favorites of 2020!

Dan1 Comment

With #BestOf2020 coverage having been fully underway here at Nine Circles for a couple of weeks, it’s time for a bit of a breather. Time to crank down the volume, switch off the HM-2 pedal, and talk some non-metal for a change. If you read Ian’s end-of-year Rainbows in the Dark post and thought to yourself, “boy, I sure would like a two-and-a-half-hour audio version of THAT,” well, reader, have I got the post for you!

A little while back — okay, basically a month back now, because I work in a hospital and doing anything productive when I’m not at work has been a tall order this year — fellow non-metal aficionado Chris Voss and I sat down to talk about our favorite stuff from all the other genres that dropped this year. There’s some shoegaze and some folk, some powerful hip-hop and some super-catchy synth pop. We covered as many bases as we could, for a near Buke-sized amount of time.

So if you, too, need a break from all the heavy stuff, jump on in and check it out. If anything strikes your interest, our full lists are included below the episode audio. Maybe some of the stuff that floated our boats will float yours too!

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