From the opening moments of Worship Circus becomes...The Listening, it's clearly the band's name change is not merely cosmetic. Lush keyboards and almost-lazy synth bassline bring the record in as hushed, throaty vocals deliver line after line in a hypnotic cadence. "Glory of the Feared" is one of twelve outstanding tracks that drip, sweat and bleed passion, agony, heartache and hope. Lyrically, Gabriel Wilson is in top form, a romantic wordsmith using potent imagery to convey the depths of despair and the quiet resurrection of hope. With nearly every song topping five minutes, the music has an unrushed, natural quality to it. Chiming vintage toned guitars and stripped down drums combine with synthesizer low end and lots of wonderful keyboard tones. Nothing is forced, transitions are gentle yet dynamic. The listener, in many ways, is akin to a fortunate fly on the wall as four talented men create brilliance on the spot.
Fans of the Rock & Roll Worship Circus may very well be disconcerted by the stylistic change, as it applies not only to the music but the lyrics. "Love, the greatest innovation/Emotion intertwined with liberty," Gabriel breathes in "Triple Fascination." One of the standout tracks, "Hosea In C Minor," the voice caresses the words "None of the people who told you can hear it/voices on the telly always led to deceiving/you didn't know you were sleeping with demons." The lyrics are darkly wry, passionate, heated, and certainly uncomfortable. "Press my lips upon your skin/breath the air you're breathing in/taste the taste the heaven in/ where you end and I begin/ want to be in your eyes again/ want to be in your eyes again", or so goes "Be In Your Eyes". The words matter. The band's name points towards the secret: It is in the listening that impact comes.
With hints of Sigur Ros, Death Cab For Cutie, Radiohead as well as classic rock like Pink Floyd and The Beatles, The Listening has nonetheless forged the band's own unique sonic identity. In the process, they have revealed one of the truly great albums of the past few years - melancholy, lush, captivating and passionate. There is a sense, with The Listening, of trespassing on sacred ground and being caught by the maker, and like the music, the only response is hushed awe.
The Listening is available in stores come January, but there's no reason to wait that long: It's on sale now at the band's website.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Greg AdamsAfter steady musical strides forward with the consecutive releases of Welcome to the Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus and A Beautiful Glow, the Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus has emerged from a hyperspace jump with the release of their latest recording, The Listening EP. This collection of six tracks is the first offering from the new line-up, featuring founding members Gabriel Wilson (vocals/guitar)…The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Bob FelbergExcuse, please, but I gotta say this. I LOVE THIS EP! We are guided into this listening experience by "Are We Listening?"--a gentle keyboard wash, backward-looped tapes that grab our attention. Just as we wonder what's happening here, the stop-start drum beat of "untitled" kicks in. A snare count-off and a wonderful harmony guitar riff sweeps to questioning lyrics finding us "hidden in the…
