"CD Review: Circle and Square, Harmonov EP By JAKE CASELLA (Flashlight Writer)
I could list a whole ton of indie-rock bands that Circle and Square bears some resemblance to. But a.) you wouldn't know many of them, and b.) all you really need to know in terms of band comparison is this: the band is a lot like Weezer, with a really heavy Smashing Pumpkins influence. That's almost enough said, isn't it? Kind of like Ozma, Circle and Square seem to be better at recreating that old-fashioned Weezer we love better than Weezer themselves. But they're not a rip-off; it's just a similarity-thing. You can tell that they have a lot of Smashing Pumpkins, hardcore, and indie stuff like Guided by Voices in their record collections. This EP, alas, is only four songs long, but all four songs are rich in a melody-drenched, busy, crooning-to-shouting-and-back, let's-just-do-some-guitar-riffs-for-a-while kind of way. And that is never a bad thing, at least when the quality of music is this high. I can't wait for a full-length album. I saw these guys on tour with Ash & Saves the Day. They had a nice set; I was very impressed with the work of their bass player, Ed Lim. It sounds as though they're working on a lot of quasi-slow songs for their next release, which should balance nicely with the hard geek-rock represented on Harmov. If you're interested in hearing this release, you don't need to visit seedy indie record store. Oh no, you can download the whole thing (and a bonus track) at their website,
circleandsquarerock.com. Very nice of them. I really recommend you check it out. Circle and Square have this very accessible sound that, if your tastes are anything like mine, is very rock-worthy. You might sill want to go to that seedy indie record store though, just to hang out. "
released September 1, 2000
Recorded and mixed in three days by Adam Lasus at Fireproof Recording in Summer 2000.