Circlons

***Kjehl Johansen, guitarist and songwriter for the Circlons, first surfaced in 1978 with the influential minimalist punk band The Urinals. Kjehl went on to play in other notable projects such as Trotsky Icepick, which released 7 albums on SST Records, and the lo-fi pop trio Narrow Adventure, who have a current album out on Austin-based Spacecase Records. His latest project is the Circlons, featuring Hunter Crowley on drums, Steve Andrews on rhythm and lead guitar, and Tom Hofer on bass. These seasoned vet- erans played in Trotsky Icepick, The Last, and the Leaving Trains. The Circlons’ first release explores the dark underbelly of the music business in all its cynicism and glory. On the lead-off track, “I Wanna Be On Your Radio (Not In Your Arms),” vocalist John Talley-Jones (Urinals, 100 Flowers) plants his tongue firmly in cheek and portrays a ruthless careerist using his girl- friend’s tears to write a song and get a record deal. True to form, our antagonist dumps the girl and doesn’t look back as told in this taut, rocking pop song. Next up is the title track where singer Adam Marsland (Cockeyed Ghost) uses the weather and the natural disasters of Los Angeles to wearily describe a music executive leaving behind a trail of emotional carnage. Featuring a string quartet, this song is aptly titled “When Only the Music Is Pretty.” Lisa Kekaula’s (Bell-Rays) vocals on “Blue Cheer” take a serious turn and will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. This R&B-influenced song takes its inspiration from those who have survived the cruelty of domestic violence as they try to find their voice and have their music heard. The EP finishes with an epic improvisation inspired by the German band Can. Nestled in the swirling chaos of sounds, Barbara Manning’s spoken words come to us from the void of creation and self-doubt, be- yond death and time. Heavy stuff!