Circus Devils: GBV's younger, weirder brother

[esselfortium]

I know iec listens to Circus Devils. Anybody else here ever heard of them?

They're an experimental rock/electronic group, consisting of Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) on vocals with multi-instrumentalist/synth guru Todd Tobias crafting the backing instrumentals and sound beds. They've got 1970s-tinged progressive rock, noisy garage jams, weird machine rhythms, Boards-esque ambient soundscapes, and all sorts of other oddities and cool stuff.


Some album recommendations and sample songs for the uninitiated:


Five. This one's my personal favorite. Parts of it are noisy and difficult to grasp, other parts are ambient and beautiful. To my ears it's like someone mashed up the most beautiful parts of Geogaddi with the most abrasive parts of GBV's Vampire On Titus in an atom smasher.

Headhunter Who Blocks The Sky
Artheroid Vogue/Dog Licking Baby


Gringo. It's the closest thing Circus Devils have done to a straightforward rock record. Sonically there's a lot of acoustic guitar blended with dark synth effects and feedback loops, and musically it's their most accessible and immediate work by far.

Before It Walks
Witness Hill


From other albums:
Swing Shift (Sgt. Disco)
Hangerman Suits (Capsized!)
The Girls Will Make It Happen (Ataxia)