The Mick Mercer Review

They’re quite open about their influences are Martin Johnson and Keith Young (Now joined by Ruth Atkinson and Jerry Boucher). Of their ancestral catalysts I think the Banshees, Joy Division and The Danse Society make most sense, but as the creep atmosphere of this fine debut album sweeps over and around you it would make more sense to cast your mind back to the early 90’s and imagine a band in Twin Peaks forming. That same brooding sense of mystery, the same ghostly lightness of touch.

‘Anniversary Circle’ has supple bass, slivers of hovering guitar, bruised vocals and a morose but fluid synth pattern and I might have a whinge it’s that I can’t find lyrics anywhere online when there’s a story hinted at which I’d quite like to follow. Arse! ‘Saturated Feathers’ has more of that Julee Cruse with a shotgun ambience, male and female vocals caught momentarily in the light as the murky sounds seep. ‘Understand’ has more spirit caught in its nagging grooves and undulates strangely to its unexpected end.

‘See Me’ gets the creepy guitar sagging, the vocals grumbling enigmatically as the rhythm flexes and guitar builds in a trenchant, wiry manner close to a spectral Danse Society, with some brutish intentions. ‘Take’ has a more demure introspective charm with Estelliane cooing softly over burbling bass and occasional gnashing synth, and there’s grim sing-songery about the dour, loping ‘Loving Cup.’ It’s a bit of a shock when they crash into the frizzier, rousing ‘Too Tired’, then they slump in a crestfallen ‘Facing Julia’, a sour serenade which reeks of rupture dignity and floats in a fetid fashion. By contrast there is a poppiness about the strangely truncated ‘Winters Children’ before ‘Bent Out Of Shape’ skimps gamely around like lightly grilled Ethereal given a Goth pacemaker.

They’re all up and fierce during a pouncing ‘Make It Look Like Suicide’, the guitar and/or violin on a fast fleck drip-feed, the dark vocals treated and sandwiched between the stern beat on a seething rhythm, with a foully frolicking bass,escalating into a brick wall of no return.

A great record, and you owe it to yourself to find out more.

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Anniversary Circle “ Saturated Feathers” now on CD from Sun and Moon records released 5rd November 2010


Many said we shouldn’t, many said we wouldn’t, some said we couldn’t, but we did………

On the 15th of August 2010 we released our debut album “Saturated Feathers”. through Emubands. Everything was great, the reviews came in and the downloads were happening, then everything changed….. For the better!

We have signed an exclusive a deal with Sun & Moon Records to release and distribute “Saturated Feathers” on CD. It will be available 5/11/2010 from www.sunandmoonrecords.com look for the links on this site and our MySpace page.

We will still continue to work with Emubands for our digital self release as they do an excellent job.

All downloads are available on iTunes, Spotify, and various other download sites.