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Anteater · 01-13-2010, 09:44 PM

Circus – Movin' On (1977)

"Yes meets Van Der Graaf for a cup of joe during winter break in Switzerland under a bulbous, golden moon."

1. The Bandsman (4:25)
2. Laughter Lane (4:11)
3. Loveless Time (5:32)
4. Dawn (7:51)
5. Movin' On (22:23)

Ah Switzerland: the fancy cheeses, the delicious chocolates, the snowy mountains, Social Security...and in the context of this review, the land of REALLY FRIGGEN AWESOME OBSCURE PROG!

Circus is one of those groups who had everything a good prog. band needs to stand heads and shoulders above its ilk: untypical instrumentation, interesting songs and themes, and perhaps best of all a overall sonic approach that melds the dark jazzy tendencies of Van Der Graaf Generator with the golden harmonics of Yes. Also, there's no keyboards...at all! Quite an intriguing lineup choice, and one that lets the flute, drums, bass and acoustic guitar and sax shine through at their darkest and more shimmering, which is really what makes their 1977 release Movin' On interesting: it sounds more organic than most of the prog. albums some of you are familiar with, as well as having a more reasonable length than most; the five tracks that comprise Movin' On together only clock at about 45 minutes in total. The majority of this time is taken up by the title track on Side 2, which in and of itself is worth the price of admission and most representative of Circus's prowess as a group.

Not that side one doesn't have quite a bit to offer the listener in its own right. 'The Bandsman' is a wonderfully flute n' bass driven opener, occasionally even danceable from the sheer craft of its rhythm. 'Laughter Lane', in contrast, demonstrates a folksier side to Circus where flute, guitar and xylophone dance together to form a beautiful soundscape, building up a bit of speed near the end and bringing in some tasty sax for extra kick. The vocals may not be to everyone's liking, but they generally work to these tunes' favor.

'Dawn', however, is my personal favorite track from this album and the sole instrumental. It starts off with a soothing ambience that hints at discord beneath the waves with the sighing of the sax, eventually evolving into an ambitious little jazz jig that segues skillfully into the album's 22 minute title track, living up to the imagery of its title without a hitch and a bright spot amidst an already starry musical canvas.

Overall, I feel that Circus is one of those prog. rock ensembles that has the appeal and distinctiveness to make it into the libraries even those unfamiliar or skeptical about progressive rock, especially the one's who think it all "sounds the same". Amidst the innumerable obscure 70's one shots and hard-to-find releases that are ultimately derivative of other bands, Movin' On is a kickass piece of work which managed to set a foundation all its own, and I honestly can't praise this band highly enough for releasing something this fantastic. It's certainly become one of my favorites in the time that I've owned it!

Highly recommended to prog. lovers and haters alike, especially if you are curious about prog. without the keyboards and pompousness.