While it’s only been eight years since guitarist Neal Casal formed the ensemble after being tasked with providing incidental set break music for the “Fare Thee Well” concerts commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Grateful Dead, the group of instrumental firebrands – consisting of Dan Horne (bass), Mark Levy (drums) and Adam MacDougall (keys) – has been through more ups-and-downs than most bands experience in a lifetime.
Originally conceived as a one-off project, the “Fare Thee Well” music was so well received that Rhino Records decided to package the material into a double LP entitled Interludes For The Dead later that year. The album, which showcased the group’s unique instrumental sound that blended elements of rock and jazz along with many of the Dead’s more adventurous musical sensibilities, led to an immediate rise in the quartet’s popularity. By the summer of 2017, the band was performing at major festivals and filling theaters nationwide, a trend that continued to build momentum for several years until Casal’s unpredictable passing in August of 2019.
Understandably shell-shocked by the sudden loss of their founder and musical leader, the group contemplated disbanding for several months before ultimately deciding to continue on, partly due to Casal’s request they do so in a letter he authored shortly before taking his own life. A return to the road later that year brought with it a formidable rotating cast of guitarists, including jam veterans Eric Krasno and Scott Metzger, and eventually led to the 2020 release of their critically-acclaimed eponymous LP.
After experimenting with the guitar-player carousel for a few years, oftentimes with mixed results, the group has seemingly found their perfect match, courtesy of New York-based musician John Lee Shannon.
Shannon, a one-time Casal collaborator, brings a distinctly unique and forward-thinking style that still manages to pay homage to Casal’s trademark sound on the band’s upcoming LP Language (out 4/28).
As Circles Around The Sun’s fourth commercial release, Language is arguably the group’s most impressive studio effort to date thanks to a cohesive tracklist of genre-bending instrumentals that cover a wide array of musical styles, including rock, jazz, and what can best be described as “space-porno funk.”
Consisting of a half-dozen original tracks with a runtime of just short of forty minutes, the material on Language seems to flow effortlessly. From the opening pair of galaxy-traversing numbers, “Third Sunrise Over Gilese” and “The Singularity”, a twinning of psychedelic soundscapes that sport distinct Echoes-era Pink Floyd vibes, to the more grounded groove-based culminating tracks “Wobble” and “Language”, the album rarely, if ever, falters.
Each of the four musicians delivers standout performances, particularly MacDougall, whose instantly-recognizable sound is prominent throughout thanks to his dizzying array of keyboards, synthesizers, and effects. MacDougall’s ability to incorporate, for example, eastern-hemisphere-influenced stylings into “Outer Boroughs” contribute to one of the LP’s more memorable moments.
The arpeggio-driven “Away Team” showcases Shannon’s keen ability to lay back and provide some musical layering and texture, arguably one of the most essential elements in defining the group’s unique sound originally perfected by Casal. Throw in some funky basslines from Horne in addition to a catchy-as-hell chord progression and you have another of Language’s many standout occurrences.
Oozing with pop sensibilities and an infectious hook, “Wobble” stands as the record’s most accessible composition and offers up some serious commercial appeal for perhaps the first time in the band’s history.
The groove-laden title track wraps things up on a somewhat celestial note thanks to harpist Mikaela Davis, whose mesmerizing performance contributes to a surreal middle section.
With a new guitarist in tow and their darkest days seemingly behind them, Circles Around The Sun’s future is perhaps as bright as it’s ever been. If Language is any indication, the four-piece band is translating cosmic musical compositions to new realms of possibility.
