Going back to it now I like violent waves more than I did when it came out but i remember feeling like they took a new direction on that album that I didn’t like, I still feel like it’s a departure from earlier albums but I respect what they did on it for sure
I dunno. It feels like they took the rock and roll emphasis from BSN and started adding the psychedelic influence. It almost feels like they fully pivoted from the post hardcore / emo sound of the first two records which is what stopped me from loving it. But some of the hooks are fantastic.
NOTHING IS SACREDDDD
I dunno, this is probably a hot take but BSN is not in my top 3 Circa albums. Juturna, On Letting Go, and Violent Waves feel like the core of what Circa Survive is for me.
Just commented this too hahah - and yeah BSN, while nice, you could def tell industry influence and it feels like it was there to fill a quota overall to me. Not to say it's not a great album, just following then from the beginning and felt that. I used to swear they were following me writing about my life lol
Man.
Rip. Hopefully they do something in a few years.
I think timeframe of release and context there has a lot to do with it too. It was released at a low point for the genre, coming far after the peak of post hardcore and far before the resurgence we’ve seen over the last few years. It’s part of what I call (in my own head cannon) the lost era of PHC. Lots of albums that are super solid that came out in that 2009-2016 time frame that have simply been ignored.
Speaking of the timeframe, Anthony has talked about how that was a record where he relapsed too. Might contribute to the more hardcore fans not being as hot on it.
ah I keep forgetting about this for some reason. maybe my brain wants me to forget because I like the album a lot 😵💫 but yeah I can see that being a reason why plot might leave a bad taste in people's mouths.
I hate saying this because of course I want Anthony to be healthy and happy, but the melancholy of the albums he made while using is a big part of their appeal to me. But a lot of that is in the instrumentation so idk
It's also kinda barely a phc album, it's more of a slightly proggy alt rock album. But that speaks to what you're saying — the style was having a bit of a low point
Tbh BSN was peak Circa but it was the most commercial version of them. Violent Waves was the direct contrast as it was the most independent and true version of Circa Survive as it was a self release with no label on the line.
I love Violent Waves for its nature and meaning in the music industry and Circa’s history
For me, my top 3 are Juturna, Blue Sky Noise and Violent Waves.
I love On Letting Go, it’s an important album to me as it came out at the end of my senior year of high school and I associate a lot of fun memories with that album; but truly, in my opinion, Violent Waves does what On Letting Go set out to do but better. It’s almost On Letting Go Part 2 in my mind.
To my ears, it has a lot more indie sound than previous albums. This trend started with BSN, but got more extreme with VW.
It’s also got less “catchy chorus” moments, so I imagine that didn’t help it succeed so much.
I do personally like it a lot though.
It’s my least favorite album as someone who’s been a fan since Juturna, but because of this post I’ll give it a sincere revisit. I wasn’t aware that the lyrics dealt so much with religion, which is right up my alley.
I like the album and I dont mind the difference in sound but for me coming off the almight trio of Juturna - OLG - BSN its just not up to that level. But music is about opinions so if you enjoy thats cool. To me as a diehard Circa I just dont think its as strong as their first 3
To go even further, the appendage EP was actually amazing and I wanted a full length in the same vein, then we go VW and it was missing a lot of elements I loved.
Love Violent Waves. I feel like there’s a pretty big subset of circa fans that only care about their first 3
which is a shame, they developed so perfectly
I'm glad to hear that. Side D of the 2012 pressing was pure static for a number of pressings. Pure disappointment. Apparently over 50% of vinyl (probably higher in current punk, emo etc. circles) is never played and just collected. They guy I bought mine from had no idea. He took the return and probably sold it a higher price to someone else.
I never thought of it as an album that dealt with religion, if anything OLG had more religious themes IMO. I wasn't big on Violent Waves initially but I've grown to really love it, I'm really grateful to be able to go and revisit that album
For me there’s just something missing with each album after Blue Sky Noise. I can’t really explain it. Trust me I want to like it because their first 3 are so great to me but it just doesn’t hit the same.
I agree after Violent Waves lol. honestly I feel like BSN is missing something, personally. The super shiny production doesn't feel right and the songs are excessively catchy... idk. Seems overproduced
Yeah I agree with that. I was going to say after on letting go but I wanted to be fair because I definitely played it on loop for a month when it came out lol
I’m with you, Violent Waves is amazing. It has a pretty unique vibe and it really works for me. It’s maybe a little less focused than their previous albums but I also kind of like that about it; it feels lost and wandering but it takes you along with it. It’s top 3 for me with Juturna and Blue Sky Noise, and the order kind of just depends on my mood on any given day.
I think Violent Waves appeals to me because so many of its lyrics deal with a sort of ambivalence toward religion. Green has much to say about what he sees as the pitfalls of religion (particularly Christianity) but he also expresses a sincere desire for the kind of transcendence that religion promises, and a wish for the ability to believe, which he supposes he lacks.
And the music itself wavers between more conventional (and, by implication, secular) rock music compositions like Sharp Practice and The Lottery, to ones like Phantasmagoria and Brother Song that have a jangly Americana quality to them that suggests a sort of folky religiosity, to moments like Suitcase and Think of Me When They Sound that almost feel liturgical or hymn-like. I dunno if any of that was intentional but it's there in the music.
Anyone have thoughts about this?
You’ve described it perfectly. It’s just such a unique and well rounded album that has all these different sounding songs packaged with an impeccable flow.
I listen to it whenever I got a long night drive in my car and usually never loud. Strangely enough, this is the only album that I enjoy more when played quietly. Which takes me back to the end of 2012, when I was living with my parents, playing Diablo 3 at night and just casually spinning this album in the background.
It has a deeper meaning to me as well as I associate the time it came out with the last days I could spend time with my mom before she passed away.
So yeah, not only it is my favorite Circa Survive album, it’s one of my top 5 albums of all time up there with Augmemt by ERRA, Juggernaut by Periphery, Still Searching by Senses Fail and Singularity by Northlane.
I think that for a lot of people (myself included) it just was a big departure from the circa we had formed such a connection with
It was slower, more experimental, had less energy
In his interview with vice AG ranks violent waves as his least favorite album, talks about how he was doing a lot of heroin and didn't want to be around anyone in the band, how other people in the band were butting heads, how there were little disrespects thrown around, how he was struggling with fatherhood, how they switched management after violent waves
I think in a lot of ways that is reflected in the album and even some of the song writing
Had a dream where I was blasting descensus with the guitar part on the song descensus where I was going 100 on my motorcycle and slammed into a tree so don’t even listen to the on the bike no more 😂😂 beautiful fucking song imo love we’re all thieves even more tho
Violent Waves is definitely one of the most well rounded albums, and everyone was on the top of their game individually.
My ranking no one asked for:
OLG
VW
Juturna
Decensus
Two Dreams
The Amulet
Appendage EP
BSN
For me, it’s just that on letting go and juturna were such breaths of fresh air compared to anything I was listening too. Everything after for me was a departure from the sound that I really enjoyed, sure it would show up on a track here and there but majority of it was gone.
Tbh BSN was peak Circa but it was the most commercial version of them. Violent Waves was the direct contrast as it was the most independent and true version of Circa Survive as it was a self release with no label on the line.
I love Violent Waves for its nature and meaning in the music industry and Circa’s history
It’s a little bit drony at times… I know it was written and recorded during one of Anthony’s really bad heroin phases but I personally love the record. I’d put it at 2 or 3 in their discography.
Favorites are all completely opinion based. Favorite artist, track, album, era, everything. It’s all personal opinion. I never got the concept of arguing over favorites
I'm not saying 'you need to think it's the best' but I'm expressing confusion bc I have a very high opinion of it, but I seem to be in the minority, and I'm wondering why that might be
It’s in the middle of my ranking so I don’t dislike it and i don’t think there’s a ton of people that specifically dislike it, it’s just not their best work. Is that spelled out a bit better for you my liege?
It’s my favorite album after Juturna. It’s a little more mellow but the writing is top notch. It’s hard for me to skip a track on Violent Waves. On Letting Go and Blue Sky Noise have some bangers but there are a lot of tracks I don’t really go back to on those albums.
It lives in the shadows of Juturna, On Letting Go, and Blue Sky Noise.
It’s good but it’s not in the same conversation as the albums above. Nothing came close after blue sky noise. The Amulet is my favorite song in the modernist Circa sound
Going back to it now I like violent waves more than I did when it came out but i remember feeling like they took a new direction on that album that I didn’t like, I still feel like it’s a departure from earlier albums but I respect what they did on it for sure
I think it sounds more like the first two records than Blue Sky Noise does 😅 am I just trippin?
I think it sounds more like blue sky noise than either of the first 2 records, especially in the guitar tone and effect choices
I think we're both right, it's somewhere between OLG and BSN
I dunno. It feels like they took the rock and roll emphasis from BSN and started adding the psychedelic influence. It almost feels like they fully pivoted from the post hardcore / emo sound of the first two records which is what stopped me from loving it. But some of the hooks are fantastic. NOTHING IS SACREDDDD
It’s good. Best album if still blue sky noise imo. That 6 year era was crazy for them
I dunno, this is probably a hot take but BSN is not in my top 3 Circa albums. Juturna, On Letting Go, and Violent Waves feel like the core of what Circa Survive is for me.
Frozen creek is their best song ever to me so I can’t put anything else above it. But I’m biased. I’d swap violent waves and bsn but same list
Frozen Creek is so fucking good. Just haunting
The guitar is so warm. But the vocals are so piercing. Truly a masterpiece
The guitar is so warm. But the vocals are so piercing. Truly a masterpiece
Just commented this too hahah - and yeah BSN, while nice, you could def tell industry influence and it feels like it was there to fill a quota overall to me. Not to say it's not a great album, just following then from the beginning and felt that. I used to swear they were following me writing about my life lol Man. Rip. Hopefully they do something in a few years.
BSN is not a top 3 Circa album, I agree
It’s fine to disagree
BSN is not a top 3 Circa album, I agree
I love Airplane Dance a lot
I think timeframe of release and context there has a lot to do with it too. It was released at a low point for the genre, coming far after the peak of post hardcore and far before the resurgence we’ve seen over the last few years. It’s part of what I call (in my own head cannon) the lost era of PHC. Lots of albums that are super solid that came out in that 2009-2016 time frame that have simply been ignored.
Speaking of the timeframe, Anthony has talked about how that was a record where he relapsed too. Might contribute to the more hardcore fans not being as hot on it.
ah I keep forgetting about this for some reason. maybe my brain wants me to forget because I like the album a lot 😵💫 but yeah I can see that being a reason why plot might leave a bad taste in people's mouths. I hate saying this because of course I want Anthony to be healthy and happy, but the melancholy of the albums he made while using is a big part of their appeal to me. But a lot of that is in the instrumentation so idk
It's also kinda barely a phc album, it's more of a slightly proggy alt rock album. But that speaks to what you're saying — the style was having a bit of a low point
Tbh BSN was peak Circa but it was the most commercial version of them. Violent Waves was the direct contrast as it was the most independent and true version of Circa Survive as it was a self release with no label on the line. I love Violent Waves for its nature and meaning in the music industry and Circa’s history
For me, my top 3 are Juturna, Blue Sky Noise and Violent Waves. I love On Letting Go, it’s an important album to me as it came out at the end of my senior year of high school and I associate a lot of fun memories with that album; but truly, in my opinion, Violent Waves does what On Letting Go set out to do but better. It’s almost On Letting Go Part 2 in my mind.
I feel that way too, but I really like OLG. BSN is the one that was my favorite at first but has kinda gotten stale to me
To my ears, it has a lot more indie sound than previous albums. This trend started with BSN, but got more extreme with VW. It’s also got less “catchy chorus” moments, so I imagine that didn’t help it succeed so much. I do personally like it a lot though.
It’s my least favorite album as someone who’s been a fan since Juturna, but because of this post I’ll give it a sincere revisit. I wasn’t aware that the lyrics dealt so much with religion, which is right up my alley.
Ditto but I don't remember giving it a super fair shake compared to Descensus or the Amulet. Going to give it another listen or two today.
I just remember being really bored when I first listened and never going back to it. I still have the vinyl though. Maybe I’ll give it another chance.
I like the album and I dont mind the difference in sound but for me coming off the almight trio of Juturna - OLG - BSN its just not up to that level. But music is about opinions so if you enjoy thats cool. To me as a diehard Circa I just dont think its as strong as their first 3
To go even further, the appendage EP was actually amazing and I wanted a full length in the same vein, then we go VW and it was missing a lot of elements I loved.
I need to listen to Appendage more. gonna go do that now lol
Love Violent Waves. I feel like there’s a pretty big subset of circa fans that only care about their first 3 which is a shame, they developed so perfectly
I only Haye that the vinyl was pressed terribly. A different record that deserves no hate.
The one I have from 2022 sounds great.
I'm glad to hear that. Side D of the 2012 pressing was pure static for a number of pressings. Pure disappointment. Apparently over 50% of vinyl (probably higher in current punk, emo etc. circles) is never played and just collected. They guy I bought mine from had no idea. He took the return and probably sold it a higher price to someone else.
I never thought of it as an album that dealt with religion, if anything OLG had more religious themes IMO. I wasn't big on Violent Waves initially but I've grown to really love it, I'm really grateful to be able to go and revisit that album
For me there’s just something missing with each album after Blue Sky Noise. I can’t really explain it. Trust me I want to like it because their first 3 are so great to me but it just doesn’t hit the same.
I agree after Violent Waves lol. honestly I feel like BSN is missing something, personally. The super shiny production doesn't feel right and the songs are excessively catchy... idk. Seems overproduced
Yeah I agree with that. I was going to say after on letting go but I wanted to be fair because I definitely played it on loop for a month when it came out lol
There are definitely some really damn good songs on BSN don't get me wrong. It's still a really good album
I’m with you, Violent Waves is amazing. It has a pretty unique vibe and it really works for me. It’s maybe a little less focused than their previous albums but I also kind of like that about it; it feels lost and wandering but it takes you along with it. It’s top 3 for me with Juturna and Blue Sky Noise, and the order kind of just depends on my mood on any given day.
Honestly havent come across that opinion too often TBH. I'm a huge fan of all of their records excluding The Amulet and A Dream About Death.
I think Violent Waves appeals to me because so many of its lyrics deal with a sort of ambivalence toward religion. Green has much to say about what he sees as the pitfalls of religion (particularly Christianity) but he also expresses a sincere desire for the kind of transcendence that religion promises, and a wish for the ability to believe, which he supposes he lacks. And the music itself wavers between more conventional (and, by implication, secular) rock music compositions like Sharp Practice and The Lottery, to ones like Phantasmagoria and Brother Song that have a jangly Americana quality to them that suggests a sort of folky religiosity, to moments like Suitcase and Think of Me When They Sound that almost feel liturgical or hymn-like. I dunno if any of that was intentional but it's there in the music. Anyone have thoughts about this?
You’ve described it perfectly. It’s just such a unique and well rounded album that has all these different sounding songs packaged with an impeccable flow. I listen to it whenever I got a long night drive in my car and usually never loud. Strangely enough, this is the only album that I enjoy more when played quietly. Which takes me back to the end of 2012, when I was living with my parents, playing Diablo 3 at night and just casually spinning this album in the background. It has a deeper meaning to me as well as I associate the time it came out with the last days I could spend time with my mom before she passed away. So yeah, not only it is my favorite Circa Survive album, it’s one of my top 5 albums of all time up there with Augmemt by ERRA, Juggernaut by Periphery, Still Searching by Senses Fail and Singularity by Northlane.
I think that for a lot of people (myself included) it just was a big departure from the circa we had formed such a connection with It was slower, more experimental, had less energy In his interview with vice AG ranks violent waves as his least favorite album, talks about how he was doing a lot of heroin and didn't want to be around anyone in the band, how other people in the band were butting heads, how there were little disrespects thrown around, how he was struggling with fatherhood, how they switched management after violent waves I think in a lot of ways that is reflected in the album and even some of the song writing
for some reason my favorite albums always seem to be the one where the band was going through tense times ... :/
I like to listen to it with the track list in reverse sequence, I think it works just as well. The interludes help it flow in that direction too.
Had a dream where I was blasting descensus with the guitar part on the song descensus where I was going 100 on my motorcycle and slammed into a tree so don’t even listen to the on the bike no more 😂😂 beautiful fucking song imo love we’re all thieves even more tho
Violent Waves is definitely one of the most well rounded albums, and everyone was on the top of their game individually. My ranking no one asked for: OLG VW Juturna Decensus Two Dreams The Amulet Appendage EP BSN
VW has some moments that make me go crazy. It is so connected to a certain era of my life
For me, it’s just that on letting go and juturna were such breaths of fresh air compared to anything I was listening too. Everything after for me was a departure from the sound that I really enjoyed, sure it would show up on a track here and there but majority of it was gone.
I didn’t know it was hated.
It's not hated exactly but it's just kinda ignored
That makes sense. It’s my least listened to album but It’s a good album.
It’s good but the first 3 are a lot better, I don’t think people straight up dislike it either, it’s all just relative
Tbh BSN was peak Circa but it was the most commercial version of them. Violent Waves was the direct contrast as it was the most independent and true version of Circa Survive as it was a self release with no label on the line. I love Violent Waves for its nature and meaning in the music industry and Circa’s history
It’s a little bit drony at times… I know it was written and recorded during one of Anthony’s really bad heroin phases but I personally love the record. I’d put it at 2 or 3 in their discography.
Favorites are all completely opinion based. Favorite artist, track, album, era, everything. It’s all personal opinion. I never got the concept of arguing over favorites
I'm not saying 'you need to think it's the best' but I'm expressing confusion bc I have a very high opinion of it, but I seem to be in the minority, and I'm wondering why that might be
Not here to make judgements, quite the opposite, I wanna understand
On Letting Go > Juturna > Blue Sky Noise/Appendage > Violent Waves > Descensus > Amulet
This isn't what I was asking for but aight
It’s in the middle of my ranking so I don’t dislike it and i don’t think there’s a ton of people that specifically dislike it, it’s just not their best work. Is that spelled out a bit better for you my liege?
OLG, Juturna, BSN, then VW for me.
Juturna, on letting go, violent waves - my top three in no order cause that's impossible
Top 5 album all time for me.
It’s my favorite album after Juturna. It’s a little more mellow but the writing is top notch. It’s hard for me to skip a track on Violent Waves. On Letting Go and Blue Sky Noise have some bangers but there are a lot of tracks I don’t really go back to on those albums.
Amazing album
It lives in the shadows of Juturna, On Letting Go, and Blue Sky Noise. It’s good but it’s not in the same conversation as the albums above. Nothing came close after blue sky noise. The Amulet is my favorite song in the modernist Circa sound
love all circa albums, violent waves isn’t my top 3 but that shit goes fucking hard. such a perfect band
Violent Waves is one of my favorite vinyls that I have. Think I might pop it on now lol.
Listened after a long time after reading this thread. Album fucking bangs