Juturna [10 Year Anniversary Edition]

In a dramatic turn of events, singer Anthony Green left his old band, Saosin, without warning at an Phoenix airport terminal (just as a tour was beginning), and jetted back to Philadelphia to form Circa Survive. The emotional upheaval and subsequent intense focus implied by this story is apparent on Circa Survive's debut, JUTURNA. Part emo, part math-rock, part New Wave-influenced pop of the Fixx variety, Circa Survive's music lays down a bed of effects-laden guitar tones and complex bass/drum figures under Green's spooky, pre-pubescent-sounding vocals. "Stop the Car" features speedy, Rush-like hi-hat matched with vibrato guitar and Green's melancholy, legato phrasing, while the ska-influenced rhythm and high-pitched pop melody of "In Fear and Death" recalls REGATTA DE BLANC-era Police. With its driving, hardcore-influenced, dissonance-infused rock, Circa Survive's first album is an intriguing record that points to a promising future for the group.