Many thanks for this review, Richard. APK
The Circular Ruins "We Leave Everything Behind" CDr
Prolific Canadian ambient designer Anthony Paul Kerby, who records not only as The Circular Ruins but also as Nunc Stans and Lammergeyer, has released on his own DataObscura label in the middle of September 2011 his newest album "We Leave Everything Behind". Quite a busy month for this London, Ontario based artist, because around the same time his co-project with Tomas Weiss "Appearances" was released on El Culto's Musical Philosophy label. A deeply mysterious and misty "Introduction" perfectly immerses the listener into the wonderfully dense and evocative atmospheric soundscapes of The Circular Ruins. "Introduction" at its most precise!!! "Seance", with obscure femme voice samples and modern classical arrangements, is a gracefully flowing textured piece in nostalgic mood, another composition of pure beauty! Various high-tech sound effects color expressive drone on "Lost Time Part 1" while the next piece, "The Things We Cannot Do", moves through more varied and lively stages with an ever-changing texture painted by cinematic atmospheres, at times becoming more intense and droning, and by catchy effects or even some Far-East fragranced strings. Amazingly adventurous sonic ride! Second part of "Lost Time" blends nostalgic atmospheres and sharper sonic outbursts. A very short organic piece, "These Days Must Wait", is wrapped with a sadder mood that also overlaps into the next composition, the title track "We Leave Everything Behind". It evokes deeper emotional longing or yearning for something that is passed by time. The third part of "Lost Time" remains in the same terrain, but it's again enriched by distant space-like effects. "Perpetuum Mobile" is a quite unique, minimal piece with uplifting semi-melodic structure. "Reunited" is magnificently drifting ambience spiced here and there with disturbing sounds, it's a pity it didn't get over 3 minutes, but this hauntingly floating ambience moves freely to the next piece, "Dust Of The River", that soon transforms into more monumental mood and later cascades through various phases into almost orchestrated, soundtrack-like sounding level. A truly poetic bliss for my ears!!! "Lost Time Part 4" with gloomy drifts and crystalline effects brings to the end this highly imaginative and sophisticated sonic journey, a journey filled with the refined artistry of its creator, that grows with each hearing and will undoubtedly reward each listener. The legacy of The Circular Ruins continues...
Richard Gürtler (Bratislava, Slovakia)
