Now & Again: Circle

Map It  U Street-Cardozo 

CIRCLE THRIVES ON REPETITION. Circle thrives on repetition. Circle thrives on repetition.

Mixing space rock and hard rock, trance-inducing drones and head-crushing psychedelia, the long-running Finnish band's latest CD, "Katapult" (No Quarter/Ektro), even takes some cues from Norwegian black metal, which is noted for its insular extremism and pride in the primitive.

"We've always been interested in primitive sound and been drifting between the so-called 'lo-fi' and 'hi-fi,'" said bassist, founder and figurehead Jussi Lehtisalo. "During the '90s, Circle were searching [for] strong feelings and experiences through different kinds of rituals."

One ceremony that's at the core of Circle is improvisation — not just during the band's free-flowing and unpredictable live shows but also during the recording process.

"Of course, it depends on the case, but it is very seldom that we compose our songs beforehand; maybe a day or two before the recording in the best case," Lehtisalo said.

"We rely on collective expression, and, while getting older, we have succeeded in minimizing our personal narcissism in order to collaborate for our collective joy's sake."

Circle's vast discography — 20 full-length albums and counting — runs about neck-and-neck with the number of musicians who have passed through its ranks, but through all the upheaval Lehtisalo and his vision for the band have remained.

"The original purpose was to minimize all the personal tasks and, a bit romantically, raise the collective tasks to the top for the sake of art," Lehtisalo said.

"As it frequently happens, the human mind puts priority on things differently in different times. ... Inside a group, feelings of unfaith are easily born and, sometimes, continuing the journey may seem impossible.

"We are somewhat different in our age and identity now, so we have learned to respect the most noble way of decision making: the noble compromising. People come and go but the journey continues."

You can say that again. You can say that again.

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EXPANDED CIRCLE

» Circle's modus operandi is to create music and not worry about how much of it is made and released — even if the group's tireless production might overwhelm potential fans.

"For us music is exploring," Lehtisalo said. "Mistakes and failures are essential part of it. I think that music as art form doesn't need to be a job interview that lasts for a hundred years. I mean, it doesn't have to be at its best all the time. The only thing I might regret is that on some albums we have tried to give the listener a too-versatile impression of our music."

In order to help folks sort through Circle's extensive catalog, Express asked Lehtisalo to name five Circle albums that newbies should start with:

"Meronia" (Bad Vugum/Ektro, 1994): "A world built with youth's passion and focus."
"Sunrise" (Ektro/Headspin, 2002): "A little bit too active, versatile and even charming album."
"Forest" (Ektro/No Quarter, 2004): "Swift and atmospheric toddling."
"Miljard" (Ektro, 2006): "Explores the moment right before the second on which things turn into something relevant."
"Katapult" (No Quarter/Ektro, 2007): "Creeps forward without cooperators and good advice."

Photos by Tuomas Laurila