{"title":"Russian Circles","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRussian Circles is a three piece instrumental band from Chicago, Illinois.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"station-15th-anniversary-re-issue","title":"Station (15th Anniversary Re-issue)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eStation\u003c\/i\u003e received critical acclaim from numerous outlets including Pitchfork, AV Club, Line of Best Fit, Pop Matters and more. Originally released in 2008, Russian Circles’ \u003ci\u003eStation\u003c\/i\u003e marked the second album in an eight LP journey that’s tracked the band’s rise to the upper echelon of heavy music. Fifteen years later, the beloved album is set to be re-issued on vinyl via Sargent House. Lumbering layers of chiseled post-rock and feathery psychedelic infusions continue to rev and entice listeners new and old. \u003ci\u003eStation\u003c\/i\u003e weaves intense and cinematic compositions that form into audible head trips that defy pigeonholing. Inertia builds to impossible levels before imploding into earth-shattering riffs. It’s push-and-pull on a seismic scale, where schisms feel rapturous. In addition, \u003ci\u003eStation\u003c\/i\u003e was the first Russian Circles album to feature now long-time member Brian Cook on bass. Formed in Chicago in 2004, Russian Circles represented a distinct shift for the rock landscape. From the beginning, their concoction of metal trimmings, minimal jazz primers, and cryptic riffs hit the scene out of nowhere with the pummeling impact of a rouge comet crashing in from the skies. Across the span of their eight studio albums, Russian Circles have traversed a diverse topography of sounds, moods, and approaches with their arsenal of drums, bass, and guitar.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sargent House","offers":[{"title":"Blue LP","offer_id":50424637784395,"sku":"2027469","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50424638472523,"sku":"2027478","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Russian_Circles_-_Station_15th_Anniversary_Re-issue_6a530341_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726780925"},{"product_id":"gnosis","title":"Gnosis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eGnosis\u003c\/i\u003e is the 8th full length from Russian Circles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the span of their previous seven studio albums, Chicago-based instrumental trio Russian Circles traversed a diverse topography of sounds, moods, and approaches with their limited armory of drums, bass, and guitar. It’s difficult to chart an evolution in their sound when their records have always felt like well-curated playlists. It wasn’t uncommon to hear drone-heavy meditations, dazzling prog exercises, knuckle-dragging riff-fests, haunting folk ballads, and tension-baiting noise rock all within the span of one album. Still, it’s difficult to ignore the progression from the pensive and intricate melodies of \u003ci\u003eEnter \u003c\/i\u003e(2006) to the layered distorted dirges of \u003ci\u003eBlood Year\u003c\/i\u003e (2019). It’s been a gradual sonic shift owing to the band’s rigorous tour schedule and a predilection towards playing their more authoritative material on stage. But with their latest album, \u003ci\u003eGnosis\u003c\/i\u003e, Russian Circles eschew the varied terrain of their past work and bulldoze a path through the most tumultuous and harrowing territory of their sound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs was the case for so many artists in the age of Covid, the obstacles of geography and isolation forced Russian Circles to reevaluate their writing process. Rather than crafting songs out of fragmented ideas in the practice room, full songs were written and recorded independently before being shared with other members, so that their initial vision was retained. While these demos spanned the full breadth of the band’s varied styles, the more cinematic compositions were ultimately excised in favor of the physically cathartic pieces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eGnosis\u003c\/i\u003e was engineered and mixed by Kurt Ballou. Drums and bass were tracked at Electrical Audio in Chicago to maximize the natural room sounds of the rhythm section. Guitar and synth overdubs were conducted at God City in Salem, MA to take advantage of Ballou’s vast inventory of amps and effects pedals. Despite the entirety of the album being written remotely, the songs were recorded with the full band playing together to retain the live feel of the material. Owing to the climate of the times and a new writing method, Russian Circles created their most fuming and focused work to date—an album that favors the exorcism of two years’ worth of tension over the melancholy and restraint that often colored their past endeavors.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sargent House","offers":[{"title":"LP - Orange","offer_id":50457339756875,"sku":"1159825","price":28.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50457335660875,"sku":"1159824","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50457341952331,"sku":"1159821","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Orange with Black Splatter","offer_id":52692826784075,"sku":"R6044-9724","price":31.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2e4bf96d-1ba8-4457-8f79-01b64c1b4547_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727204795"},{"product_id":"empros-2","title":"Empros","description":"\u003cp\u003eNew embossed gatefold jacket w\/ printed inner sleeve + download card. Very limited Clear w\/ red, silver, magenta splatter vinyl available for a short while. Russian Circles returns with a re-issue of their legendary album Empros complete with a redesigned, embossed gatefold jacket, now pressed on two new limited edition colours. Empros picks up where the anthemic riffs and melodies of 2009's Geneva left off and injects evermore slithering rhythms amid skull-crushing heft with all the visceral intensity of Godflesh, Swans and Neurosis. Put simply, Empros is Russian Circles' Master of Reality: a radical revision of both heavy and melody that is monolithic in its clarity and perfection. Or, like a lone surviving wooly beast emerging from a brutal winter's frost, Empros is the sound of a band shaking the ages from its shoulders with all the brutal force of a behemoth awakened. Taking to Chicago's Phantom Manor studio once 4 again with producer Brandon Curtis of The Secret Machines \u0026amp; Interpol -- who also helmed the band's previous album Geneva -- Russian Circles set out to experiment with their sound in new ways that would still reflect their live sound. In so doing, the band reached a new creative apex in which each of the musicians, guitarist Mike Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz and bassist Brian Cook impart a streamlined and intensified attack to their songs that pummels even as it shifts throughout a range of moods and tempos. The album opens with an imposing mechanical drone leading into funereal guitar notes that are abruptly interrupted by a propulsive drum beat as the proceedings of \"309\" erupt into something akin to a neo-industrial revision of Celtic Frost. The song lunges through nearly 9 minutes of masterful rhythmic shifts and brutal guitar warfare with such assertive grace it sounds as though the band is throwing down a gauntlet defying all challengers. \"Mladek\" kicks off with the soaring notes of Sullivan's signature hammer-on guitar arpeggios as Cook's volume-swelling bass notes surge like bubbling molten lava. Turncrantz's innovative rephrasing of the drum pattern elevates the song as it slinks from part to part, guided by the syncopated chatter traded between chiming guitar notes and churning bass. Elsewhere, there are beautiful moments of melodic respite, helping to underscore the album's majestic strength. And, there may even be a few surprises awaiting within the album's six tracks. There are riffs, yes -- many of them. But, with Empros the entire band seems to be the embodiment of the riff itself. UK Publicity handled by Lauren Barley @ Rarely Unable. \/\/ RUSSIAN CIRCLES \u0026amp; REZN on Tour - Oct 29 Birmingham O2 Institute2, Oct 30 Glasgow Slay, Oct 31 Belfast Limelight 2, Nov 1 Dublin Button Factory, Nov 2 Manchester Damnation Festival, Nov 3 London EartH. “The fourth LP from this mostly instrumental Chicago trio swings from exceedingly beautiful to punishingly physical in seconds flat.” Pitchfork \/\/ “The six-song album intricately blends fat, grisly, discordant riffage with melodic, atmospheric, proggy sprinklings to create a sonically elaborate and raw package.” Premier Guitar \/\/ “Empros doesn’t just defy gravity, it defines it.” A.V. Club\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sargent House","offers":[{"title":"Clear LP","offer_id":50507271242059,"sku":"2210698","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50507271536971,"sku":"2210706","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Russian_Circles__Empros_75f40a54_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727845248"},{"product_id":"blood-year","title":"Blood Year","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere are few things one can be sure of these days, though one truism that remains is that Russian Circles will continue to reign as one of instrumental music’s supreme champions. These masters of sonic tension and release plan to deliver their seventh studio album on Sargent House. Dubbed \u003ci\u003eBlood Year,\u003c\/i\u003e the LP is less a musical exploration and more a statement of authority, lest there be any doubt that Russian Circles remain a force to be reckoned with on the stage and in the studio.The Chicago trio have always explored the dynamics of volume and timbre, with their albums often vacillating between caustic attacks and blissful respites. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRussian Circles returned to the studio with Kurt Ballou to record\u003ci\u003e Blood Year\u003c\/i\u003e, but this time they tracked it in Chicago at Steve Albini’s world-famous Electrical Audio. From guitarist Mike Sullivan’s riff-fueled assaults, to Dave Turncrantz’s war machine rack and floor toms and Brian Cook’s meat grinding bass lines, the sound of \u003ci\u003eBlood Year\u003c\/i\u003e is that of a band unafraid to flaunt their hard-earned prowess.Sullivan, Turncrantz, and Cook made a conscious effort to approach the songs on Blood Year with the same organic feel of a live show. In an age where rock records are often built on a computerized grid, Russian Circles chose to track the foundations of the songs together in one room as complete takes without click tracks. The human pulse and unmetered energy is woven throughout \u003ci\u003eBlood Year,\u003c\/i\u003e a presence that can be felt with each bone-rattling minute.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - Black Vinyl housed in Gatefold Sleeve.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - Limited Gold Vinyl housed in Gatefold Sleeve.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sargent House","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50530580037963,"sku":"1065686","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/179f4ecc-4198-426b-b67b-09d5568104ca_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728081210"},{"product_id":"memorial-2","title":"Memorial","description":"\u003cp\u003ePerhaps the most immediately apparent characteristic of the fifth \u003cstrong\u003eRussian Circles\u003c\/strong\u003e album, \u003cem\u003eMemorial\u003c\/em\u003e, is its wide range of emotion. Vacillating from somber-yet-soaring melodies on one track to pummeling metal heft on the next, \u003cem\u003eMemorial\u003c\/em\u003e sounds like an album with split personalities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"We've always tried to balance our metal-influenced sounds with more nuanced, pretty, orchestral elements,\" Cook says. \"But this time, it's far more polarized in that the heavy parts are much more blown out and exaggerated while the pretty moments are far more restrained, delicate, and atmospheric.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sargent House","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50532522066251,"sku":"1152524","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Silver with Black Splatter","offer_id":52692907163979,"sku":"R0227-9220","price":31.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52692907196747,"sku":"R0227-4472","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2000x2000bb_7b336067-250d-4d06-b0ef-abbd0a2591cc.jpg?v=1751921855"},{"product_id":"nine-3","title":"Nine","description":"\u003cp\u003eChicago-bred post metal trio Russian Circles new album \u003cem\u003eNine\u003c\/em\u003e continues their unhurried evolution and disciplined refinement, leaning into their strengths while pushing at the boundaries of their sound. This is a band with no hit songs. No fan consensus on their best album. Just a reputation of consistency and quality that built one of the biggest heavy instrumental rock bands in the world.While they insist that their music is a confluence of broad-ranging influences, it’s fair to say that Russian Circles’ adventurous diversity has developed into a distinct and singular sound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough Russian Circles is now spread across the country - guitarist Mike Sullivan in Los Angeles, drummer Dave Turncrantz based in Chicago, and bassist\/keyboardist Brian Cook living in Vashon Island, outside of Seattle - the band triangulate their relative positions for \u003cem\u003eNine\u003c\/em\u003e. Its seven seismic tracks act as long-form oriented soundtracks to the trials and tragedies of life in the modern age. “The music we make is a collective process of reconciliation, navigation, and reflection upon aging both as individuals and as a creative entity. Life has created very real distances between us, but the band continues to be at the center, and this creative collaboration is a way of charting the passage of time while also giving us a reason to look to the future,” the band elaborates. Whereas earlier albums were almost playful in their traversing of territories, Nine is a document of a band that knows the lay of the land and is fortifying their dominion over the varied terrain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sargent House","offers":[{"title":"LP - Eco Graphite","offer_id":57656190796107,"sku":"R2588-5532","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":57656190828875,"sku":"R2588-9469","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":57656190861643,"sku":"R2588-5871","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/RussianCircles-Nine-1.jpg?v=1782210392"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_fb5392a0_thumbnail_4096_1b190225-ee30-4f6d-a262-2ad1017d3e98.jpg?v=1726780894","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/russian-circles.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}