VOODOOLAND

Cirkus is a Symphonic Prog band from Quebec, Canada founded in 2015. The band has only released 2 albums, one in 2017 and one in August of 2019 called "Voodooland". The band line-up has pretty much remained the same with lain Proulx (bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals), Serge Doucet (6 and 12 string guitars), and C. Lucas Proulx (lead and backing vocals. Also joining this core line-up this time is Guenille (chimes and noises of all kinds) and Martin Vincent (drums and 12 string guitars) who also has been touring with the band. The album is made up of 8 tracks and it has a run-time of over 70 minutes where they try to capture the energy and theatrics of the live show in long epic tracks.

The album opens with "How to Kill" (7:54) where they immediately establish their strong symphonic sound. The vocals start early on and are quite dramatic sounding sounding even more flamboyant singing in English with the strong French accent. The music moves mysteriously along and finally kicks in with steady, moderate rhythm, a heavier guitar base and a great level of melodious music. The guitar takes over with a nice solo backed by the cinematic sounds. Vocals return before 5 minutes, this time with a lower register vocal singing along at parts. The guitar lead takes over again after 6 minutes, this time joined by a counter musical line from the synth. The dramatic sound returns before the ending to close it off with flourish. "Sidewalk Steam" (8:49) begins with a running piano pattern, guitar and tonal percussion with the symphonic effects of the synths joining in later. Soon the smoothness breaks up with a progressive flair and then things go slow and emotional when the vocals come in. A lovely melody with heavy synth backing emerges, with just enough vocal variance to not sound overly polished. The guitar brings back a fuller sound and then the drums come back in anchoring everything. The vocals come in to match the forward movement of the track. The music continues as progressive style riffs create a bit of tension. The music suddenly slows and becomes pensive in the last minute.

"Arrival" (9:02) begins with a slow, heavy beat and layered vocal effects. The piano comes in to soften things up a bit. Vocals and a more upbeat sound begin after a minute with it all backed by a heavy organ. At 3 minutes, the guitar leads with a pizzicato sound in the string effects and this bridges to the next section with goes back to a heavier beat. This continued interchange from slow to moderate tempo continues to change back and forth as vocal and instrumental sections also take turns. At 5 minutes, a nice cinematic section starts and continues to build with a lot of synth and keys, dramatic drumming and so on. This track definitely stresses a more progressive sound as the themes are less repetitive and the lyrics take on a more storytelling style. Definitely a strong and standout track.

"Blind Parade" (9:31) starts right off with vocals and a march-like rhythm and a strong lilt provided by string effects. The shakiness of the vocals, and the wandering in and out of being "in-tune" is more apparent in this track, but I think it all works in the bands favor so as to not sound overly polished. It does carry a bit of charm to the music, but at times it can be more noticeable than others. At 3 minutes, a nice, smooth guitar solo comes in with airy synths, almost sounding like a mellotron in parts. At 4 minutes, the music becomes softer and pensive as the organ slowly pumps out an almost-calliope style. More intensity returns at 6 minutes and the faster rhythm returns along with the melody from the first. "Sandcastle" (6:58) also begins with vocals right away, this time, though, they take quick, deep growling dives and quickly emerge back to normal. It is a strange, yet unique sound. Before the 3 minute mark, things smooth out more as the vocals stop their strange diving tricks. The track is lyrically heavy and the melody is not immediately apparent. A guitar solo settles in at 5 minutes backed by more symphonic effects.

"Catch the Beast" (7:07) is probably the least interesting track of the bunch, as the smoothness of the beat and synths almost start to sound like a bad disco song. Not much really happens on this track that remains with the listener for long. "Like a God (9:23) is more promising however, as it goes for a more emotional and cinematic sound, which is what the band is better at, and the vocals almost take on a live theatrical performance sound. At 4 minutes, a steady rhythm kicks in and the track becomes smoother, but the vocals are almost consistently out of tune on this one, making it hard to take as seriously as the atmosphere of the track wants it to be. This would be a really great track, except the vocals just don't cut it on this track. However, the instrumentation is quite stirring.

"Masterplan" (11:29) begins with another lovely melody and quiet keyboard-led start. Even the vocals are better on this one. The beat picks up just before the 2 minute mark and the vocals become more theatrical when both vocalists start to sing. After 4 minutes, the sound becomes more orchestral, but this is all done by synths. The mood shifts again and the storytelling vibe becomes apparent again. The track later shows off some folk elements with a jaunty melody which later moves to an instrumental section with woodwind effects. The song goes into another, heavier direction before 8 minutes as string effects and a heavy organ take over an interlude. This builds to a nice climax, then mellows right out with an electric piano. Nice contrast. The vocals and symphonic syths suddenly return as the main theme returns. Another excellent track, and so the album closes on a strong performance.

The biggest complaint I have is that at times, the vocals sound a bit too out-of-tune and can be annoying. This problem is very apparent on some tracks, while not so much on others when they only slip out of tune for a few seconds. The instrumentation makes up for the short mishaps. It would seem maybe one of the vocalists is more off-key than the other, but I'm not sure which one has the biggest problem. The music itself is very good however, and definitely cinematic and symphonic. The songs themselves are great with a lot of progressive passages, tempo, meter and mood changes within most every song. The musicianship is at a very high-level, and unfortunately, the vocals contrast that to the extreme on a few of the tracks. There are some excellent highs on this album especially in "Arrival" and "Masterlord", but there are some definite lows like on "Sandcastle" and "Catch the Beast". "Like a God" is almost a high, but the vocals are too far off. Anyway, it is a pretty good album, and actually stretches into a 4 star album, but some of the vocals weaken the overall sound to where it teeters into a lower rating. It's worth listening to, but I would hope that some of the weaknesses disappear on the next venture.

CIRKUS is a Progressive Symphonic music group from Quebec City of Trois-Rivières in Canada, and has just released their second album, "Voodooland". After a rather successful first outing in 2017 with Wild Dogs, here is a galette that promises us some good surprises to be enjoyed without moderation. At the head of this strange and magical land we have the multi-instrumentalist and arranger composer ALAIN PROULX. This quartet delivers us here theatrical or even cinematographic scores, and I would even go to the limit towards expressionist music ... because this work often presents a high level of dissonance, dynamic contrasts, constant changes of textures, distorted melodies and harmonies, and fear as the main subject. We talk about redemption, the world going in error, empires built like sand castles etc ... This tone will be given and evoked like a spell throughout the duration of the album. The palette of influences is quite large in this cursed place, with a wide range that goes from BAUHAUS to PETER HAMILL for vocals to GENESIS and YES for musical structures. "How to Kill" begins with a slow and theatrical voice whose tremolos and lyrics we assess the gravity of the situation. The song is punctuated by a regular tempo, accompanied by a bouncy organ and past fashion which stops in front of an electric guitar playing harpeggios with silky textures and jubilant harmonies. The orchestration is symphonized and the voices harmonize to lead to an intense and structurally elaborate final, but ceaselessly alarmist. "Sidewalk Steam" can be split into three parts in different genres and styles. Indeed this piece begins with a nervous piano revolving around a guitar of good quality, then relayed by a faltering and excessively sluggish voice, combining with acoustics with the tones of YES from the best period. The second part seems turned towards songs deliberately degenerate even dissonant but well controlled, typically Post-Punk in the manner of JOY DIVISION or even TELEVISION. The contrast between the rendering of voices and the musical architecture of Prog is really striking here. This piece ends with a well-composed, calm and pleasant synth / piano duo whose elegance will make us think of GENESIS. "Arrival" is a clever mix of festive songs, choirs sounding like chimes, dismal voices at the breaking point in a style that can be confused with Punk / post Punk wanderings, but paradoxically well brought and coherent, with a passage intermediary which makes us glimpse a MORRISSEY in great shape, but also Indian songs well cadenced and successful. This delirious patchwork interspersed with high-level musical passages makes this piece unique and particularly brilliant. "Blind Parade" takes up the same vocal specificities with a more joyful refrain resembling a hymn dedicated to the blind that we are ... This melody evolves with drum rolls and a fiery and luminous guitar, then becomes again mysterious to end with a lament vindictive and repetitive. With "Sandcastle" how not to think of PETER HAMMILL, this genius with a voice so expressive and overflowing with emotion who made us discover unknown sound spaces. Here the progressive is in the vocals, and the guitar and the keyboards of the accessories carrying the choirs towards an apotheosis filled with drunkenness. I must admit ... this sand castle with such a beautiful and tortured voice made me shudder a little! Contrary to some reviews that I have read, "Catch The Beast" is a very successful composition and expertly interpreted. It won't jump out at you right off the bat, and you'll have to be patient to assimilate the little secrets that will reveal themselves to you as you listen. The interesting points of this title come for many from the vocal games, both individual and collective, from the rendering of the instruments which overlap perfectly with the vocals which will make us think once again of GENESIS. A mysterious atmosphere begins "Like A God", accompanied by a slow voice and diffusing a deliberately false song, giving a feeling of disuse and doldrums. A word of advice ... throw all blunt objects at hand before starting this listening, because the hour is serious and on the plate is written "No Future". But luckily, the musical parts will give us a glimmer of hope. "Masterlord" is here is a good summary of the potential of CIRKUS and a demonstration of C. LUCAS PROULX's talent in terms of singing, with a real ability to master a voice that walks with ease and fluidity between PETER HAMMILL and DAVID BOWIE, an anthology of phrasings well adjusted and held firmly, as well in the rising ones as in the fragile and emotional parts. The accompanists are not left, and deliver us here and there superimposed and polyphonic layers enhancing this bewitching voice, the orchestration suddenly taking its share of the cake with a more complex and more prog approach. My only complaint will be for the finale of this title which seems sluggish and without much brilliance, it's a bit of a shame for the end of the session ... When I discover an album I always trust my first impressions, if they are bad it's a good sign, and vice versa if the production is understandable from the start. Here this rule has proven itself once again. Indeed, from the outset I was not subjugated by these dissenting and dramatic voices, this mixed feeling of listening to a Post Punk group accompanied by a high level Prog orchestration, but especially taken aback by this contrast. After having patiently dissected this work and with the obligation to write a credible column, I discovered with delight a new way of shaping Prog, a kind of raw and fine mixture at the same time that I did not really know, because very heard ... Even if some may find this voice a little too present, do not press the off button before you have soaked up these skilfully constructed melodies, listen to these songs so particular but so deep and let yourself be take them to new and reassuring emotions. Strong recommendations!