Cirrus

Dieselboy · 12-19-2009, 12:30 AM

No thread for these guys yet, so here goes...

1997 - Drop the Break

Cirrus was a duo from LA, that was pretty big on the electronica scene when they first arrived with their breakbeat style album Drop the Break. Their song Superstar DJ was a hit, and they received a lot of praise, as well as comparisons to another pretty big electronic duo The Crystal Method. One reviewer even said about them:

"Hailed in 1997 as the new Prodigy...The duo program acid and trance breakbeats for their material, but also added live guitar and bass to appeal to rock crowds at their frantic live shows."

I don't see them as sounding much like Prodigy personally, but the latter half of that description actually reminded me of how some people would describe Pendulum...whom I could also find myself comparing them too...even if there's some drastic differences in style as well.

As I said earlier, this CD is mostly breakbeat in the Crystal Method style, but there's a few more mellow tracks which really show diversity and also what is to come on their 3rd and final masterpiece of an album. A great example of this diversity is shown in the beautiful songs October 27 as well as:

Cirrus - Nassau

1998 - Back On a Misson

They followed up quickly with a second release entitled Back On a Mission. Since it was only released one year later, it is kinda just "more of the same" sounding...which isn't bad or anything. They evolve a bit though here and become a bit more live-sounding occasionally. They have some massive club hits on their hands again with songs like Back On a Mission and this one:

Cirrus - Stop and Panic

^Incredibly acid sounding, but you can also see them in concert in that clip behind the live guitars/drums/keyboards they use in their sets. They look like they would be such an incredible band to see live, judging from this video.

2002 - Counterfeit

Now for the reason I decided to make this thread in the first place.... In 2002 they released their 3rd and most recent album entitled Counterfeit.

Evolving into something that sounds like the band from the first 2 albums time traveled back to the 70's and borrowed some of their sounds, while becoming even more "live" sounding. This disc is just packed from start to end with huge songs, as well as an amazing amount of variety.

The breakbeat style songs are still here, and sounding heaps better than before (which is saying something):

Cirrus - Breakbeat Suckers

And they added in quite a few melodic more jazzy sounding songs such as You Are (Panacea), Half A Cell, and this one ...which reached number 10 on the U.S. dance chart in 02:

Boomerang (Radio edit is all I could find on youtube)

I love this disc and I think this album is criminally under-rated in the history of music. One of the few albums I'd give a 10/10 as a whole. This is seriously one of the best electronica albums of all time...OF ALL TIME.

For fans of any of the artists mentioned above. If you want a more mature sounding Crystal Method, maybe Pendulum, and also The Propellerheads. I definitely recommend checking out this last disc if you have time, and don't hesitate to ask for an up if you need...it's worth your time.

Bulldog · 12-19-2009, 07:06 AM

Nice work with the thread here.

I've only got Counterfeit myself (haven't been able to find their first two efforts for love nor money), and it's definitely good stuff. There are some great tunes on it, but I also found bits of it a little too commercial for my tastes. It's definitely been worth having though and, who knows, it might even grow on me a bit more with a few more spins.;

Dieselboy · 12-19-2009, 04:38 PM

Yeah, I suppose commercial would be a good word to describe a few of their tunes. I personally wouldn't use that word to describe them to someone, because it just makes it sounds bad I think. Even if some of their songs would reach out to a mainstream crowd...they're just done so well that it doesn't even bother me in the slightest, and I still enjoy them immensely.

I do think Countereit is "a grower" though, yeah. It's enjoyable the first few listens, but once you give it those extra spins and start learning the in's and out's of every song, you really start to appreciate the album as a whole so much more.

If you wanna check out the first two CDs just lemme know btw, pm or whatever.

jackhammer · 12-19-2009, 06:43 PM

I wouldn't mind an up if there's one going spare!

Dieselboy · 12-19-2009, 08:08 PM

Yeah, definitely. I'll get this up and send as soon as I can.

Bulldog · 12-20-2009, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dieselboy

Yeah, I suppose commercial would be a good word to describe a few of their tunes. I personally wouldn't use that word to describe them to someone, because it just makes it sounds bad I think. Even if some of their songs would reach out to a mainstream crowd...they're just done so well that it doesn't even bother me in the slightest, and I still enjoy them immensely.

I do think Countereit is "a grower" though, yeah. It's enjoyable the first few listens, but once you give it those extra spins and start learning the in's and out's of every song, you really start to appreciate the album as a whole so much more.

If you wanna check out the first two CDs just lemme know btw, pm or whatever.

Yeah, I see what you mean. I mean, what kinds of horrors come to mind when you hear the words 'commercial dance music' in the same sentence! Don't get me wrong, I listen to plenty of commercial and mainstream music myself, so that's why I wouldn't really call those bits on Counterfeit bad by any stretch of the imagination.

I've got quite a bit of new music on my plate at the minute, but when I start looking for those other two albums again and need a helping hand, I'll let you know.

jackhammer · 12-30-2009, 01:02 PM

Just checked out Counterfeit and it's a mixed bag. Some really solid funky big beats which I really love but also some forgettable tunes and on the whole it's similar to stuff like Freestylers, Ed Solo, Freq Nasty etc.

I wouldn't mind hearing their earlier stuff. I guess I wanted it to be a little more raw and dirty but some tracks are definitely keepers.

Dieselboy · 12-30-2009, 05:42 PM

^ That sounds like the initial reaction from my first listen to this CD years ago. Personally loved the big-beat funky style songs, while the slower ones and a few of the others my attitude was just "meh." Not sure if this is exactly the way you felt, as far as the ones that you thought were forgettable. Just something to keep in mind maybe. As I did state earlier, I feel like this album is good at first, but is kinda a grower as well...just from personal experience.

Gimme some time to throw up the others and I'll send 'em at you (or anyone else who wants to check these out...just pm or whatever).

jackhammer · 12-30-2009, 06:04 PM

I think the fact that they don't seem to take influences from other genres too much means that they can become repetitive a little.

If you haven't already I do suggest Ed Solo. This track is damn fine:

Dieselboy · 12-30-2009, 06:26 PM

Not bad, not bad. Out of the three artists you mentioned as similar to Cirrus, he was the only one I haven't heard.

DL'ing Random Acts of Kindness now, I'll check it out.

12-19-2009, 12:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Dieselboy Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 608	Cirrus No thread for these guys yet, so here goes... *1997 - Drop the Break* Cirrus was a duo from LA, that was pretty big on the electronica scene when they first arrived with their breakbeat style album Drop the Break. Their song Superstar DJ was a hit, and they received a lot of praise, as well as comparisons to another pretty big electronic duo The Crystal Method. One reviewer even said about them: "Hailed in 1997 as the new Prodigy...The duo program acid and trance breakbeats for their material, but also added live guitar and bass to appeal to rock crowds at their frantic live shows." I don't see them as sounding much like Prodigy personally, but the latter half of that description actually reminded me of how some people would describe Pendulum...whom I could also find myself comparing them too...even if there's some drastic differences in style as well. As I said earlier, this CD is mostly breakbeat in the Crystal Method style, but there's a few more mellow tracks which really show diversity and also what is to come on their 3rd and final masterpiece of an album. A great example of this diversity is shown in the beautiful songs October 27 as well as: Cirrus - Nassau *1998 - Back On a Misson* They followed up quickly with a second release entitled Back On a Mission. Since it was only released one year later, it is kinda just "more of the same" sounding...which isn't bad or anything. They evolve a bit though here and become a bit more live-sounding occasionally. They have some massive club hits on their hands again with songs like Back On a Mission and this one: Cirrus - Stop and Panic ^Incredibly acid sounding, but you can also see them in concert in that clip behind the live guitars/drums/keyboards they use in their sets. They look like they would be such an incredible band to see live, judging from this video. *2002 - Counterfeit* Now for the reason I decided to make this thread in the first place.... In 2002 they released their 3rd and most recent album entitled Counterfeit. Evolving into something that sounds like the band from the first 2 albums time traveled back to the 70's and borrowed some of their sounds, while becoming even more "live" sounding. This disc is just packed from start to end with huge songs, as well as an amazing amount of variety. The breakbeat style songs are still here, and sounding heaps better than before (which is saying something): Cirrus - Breakbeat Suckers And they added in quite a few melodic more jazzy sounding songs such as You Are (Panacea), Half A Cell, and this one ...which reached number 10 on the U.S. dance chart in 02: Boomerang (Radio edit is all I could find on youtube) I love this disc and I think this album is criminally under-rated in the history of music. One of the few albums I'd give a 10/10 as a whole. This is seriously one of the best electronica albums of all time...OF ALL TIME. For fans of any of the artists mentioned above. If you want a more mature sounding Crystal Method, maybe Pendulum, and also The Propellerheads. I definitely recommend checking out this last disc if you have time, and don't hesitate to ask for an up if you need...it's worth your time. Last edited by Dieselboy; 12-19-2009 at 12:45 AM.

12-19-2009, 06:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I wouldn't mind an up if there's one going spare! __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-30-2009, 01:02 PM	#7 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Just checked out Counterfeit and it's a mixed bag. Some really solid funky big beats which I really love but also some forgettable tunes and on the whole it's similar to stuff like Freestylers, Ed Solo, Freq Nasty etc. I wouldn't mind hearing their earlier stuff. I guess I wanted it to be a little more raw and dirty but some tracks are definitely keepers. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-30-2009, 06:04 PM	#9 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I think the fact that they don't seem to take influences from other genres too much means that they can become repetitive a little. If you haven't already I do suggest Ed Solo. This track is damn fine: __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-19-2009, 07:06 AM	#2 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Nice work with the thread here. I've only got Counterfeit myself (haven't been able to find their first two efforts for love nor money), and it's definitely good stuff. There are some great tunes on it, but I also found bits of it a little too commercial for my tastes. It's definitely been worth having though and, who knows, it might even grow on me a bit more with a few more spins.;

12-19-2009, 04:38 PM	#3 (permalink)
Dieselboy Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 608	Yeah, I suppose commercial would be a good word to describe a few of their tunes. I personally wouldn't use that word to describe them to someone, because it just makes it sounds bad I think. Even if some of their songs would reach out to a mainstream crowd...they're just done so well that it doesn't even bother me in the slightest, and I still enjoy them immensely. I do think Countereit is "a grower" though, yeah. It's enjoyable the first few listens, but once you give it those extra spins and start learning the in's and out's of every song, you really start to appreciate the album as a whole so much more. If you wanna check out the first two CDs just lemme know btw, pm or whatever.

12-19-2009, 08:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
Dieselboy Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 608	Yeah, definitely. I'll get this up and send as soon as I can.

12-30-2009, 05:42 PM	#8 (permalink)
Dieselboy Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 608	^ That sounds like the initial reaction from my first listen to this CD years ago. Personally loved the big-beat funky style songs, while the slower ones and a few of the others my attitude was just "meh." Not sure if this is exactly the way you felt, as far as the ones that you thought were forgettable. Just something to keep in mind maybe. As I did state earlier, I feel like this album is good at first, but is kinda a grower as well...just from personal experience. Gimme some time to throw up the others and I'll send 'em at you (or anyone else who wants to check these out...just pm or whatever).

12-30-2009, 06:26 PM	#10 (permalink)
Dieselboy Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 608	Not bad, not bad. Out of the three artists you mentioned as similar to Cirrus, he was the only one I haven't heard. DL'ing Random Acts of Kindness now, I'll check it out.