CirKus: Medicine

CirKus: Medicine
CirKus started off in 2005 as a duo comprised of British guitarist/DJ, Karmil and producer, Burt Ford. Soon, the duo expanded to a quartet incorporating into it Karmil’s girlfriend, Lolita Moon, and one-hit wonder, Neneh Cherry. In 2010, the group released their sophomore album, Medicine; a year later, the album gets its American release date.
The album is decidedly a hodgepodge of electronic genres. “Beats Tripple 1” features the same bass sound as LCD Soundsystem‘s “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” while the production is a little more reminiscent of Shit Robot. But there are not many tracks that are as danceable as “Beats Tripple 1” on Medicine; most are a little more tame. The album’s title track features Death Cab for Cutie-like guitar noodling over an electric drum beat.
The album’s best track might be the album’s first single “Bells”. It sounds like Gorillaz experimenting with walking disco bass. But it does not sound like a party; instead it has a Spoon vibe to it, cool and laid back.
Medicine is still a delicate balance between the downtempo of CirKus’ debut album and a new direction. The new direction feels to be much more interesting than the downtempo of the past. Unfortunately, the balance of the album means that some mediocre downtempo is mixed into the new vibe explored in “Bells” and “Beats Tripple 1”. If the group keeps on evolving, the next album should be dynamite after working out some of the growing pains here.
Rating: 6.7/10
MP3: CirKus “Bells”
Buy: iTunes or Amazon

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