The Georgia-based band Semicircle has an inception story that entails the effort of one founding member who followed his curiosity and pushed for members to come together. Four years later the band is still intact and making new music, the next installment on their story of growth and resilience. Their sophomore effort, Blown Breeze, Grown Grass And We Are Part Of The Earth, is the result of a two-year writing process. A long-awaited release, the new record has set up an opportunity for the band to disclose whom they are and what they want to portray.
This album is a unique mixture of alternative and folk. Of course, there are plenty of acoustic elements throughout the recording, but balance it with some electric guitar and you’ve got the cause of their genre blend. Percussion is strategically placed to accent the aforementioned guitar playing.
“Southern Spring” starts us off with a stripped-down acoustic tune that is mellow and nostalgic. Keeping the pace, “No Words” starts off with warm tones and simple composition, but then startles the listener with sudden thrashing guitars three and a half minutes in. “Underground River Of Glass” also picks up halfway through the song, but with a much more subtle and pleasant approach. The ironically titled “Untitled” has illustrative poetic lyrics and although simple still features a variety of instruments.
Blown Breeze, Grown Grass, And We Are Part Of The Earth makes you feel like you know exactly what the whole album will sound like from the beginning notes, but stay alert. You will quickly get past the simplicities and find compositional surprises. Their next venture is sure to end with an exciting result, but I’m hoping for the finesse used in “Underground River Of Glass,” rather than the uninhibited delivery of “No Words.” Semicircle managed to capture the nuances of their personality as a band and their unconventional story in an album.
In A Word: Unanticipated
