self-released
Its the new musical trend: not labeling ones band and sound into a musical genre. Its all about blending a lot, blurring those boundaries, and being as eclectic as possible. You could say that when a band goes that far, the result can be a bit of a circus. Enter up-and-comers Circus Mind, an octet from New York and Louisiana, but really playing up the New Orleans tie.
On the bands second release, Silver Flower, the sound is predominantly funky and jazzy, but the Creole sound that New Orleans is famous for doesnt really appear on the album until the ninth track, Brighter Day. The feel of the CD as a whole is tighter than the first, self-titled release. Circus Mind spanned many musical genres and sounds, and Silver Flower honed in on more of a retro-funky vibe with a little classic rock twist. The one thing that is immediately apparent is the uniqueness of singer Mark Rechlers voice. Its raspy, as though hes smoked one too many cigarettes in his time, but it works. He sounds like its taking everything he has in him to get the sounds out, but it works. He sounds like hes years older than he actually is, but it works, fusing with the thick jazz grooves and heavily obvious influences such as Elvis Costello, Little Feat, Tom Waits, and even Oasis.
All told, Silver Flower is indeed a music enthusiasts album. It will keep the listener on his feet, wondering whats coming next. Will Rechler be able to finish belting out this song? Will the next tune carry more of a David Bowie sound than a Red Hot Chili Peppers’ tone? And will Circus Minds sound keep getting more specific as they move on in their career and buck the current trend? Keep listening to this band with great potential to find out.