Memorial (Russian Circles album)

Memorial is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Russian Circles. The album was released on October 29, 2013 through Sargent House. Memorial was produced by Brandon Curtis (Secret Machines, Interpol), who also produced the band's two previous albums, Empros (2011) and Geneva (2009).[2]

Memorial
Studio album by
Russian Circles
ReleasedOctober 29, 2013 (2013-10-29)
RecordedMay 2013; Electrical Audio studios (Chicago, Illinois)[1]
GenrePost-rock, instrumental metal
Length36:59
LabelSargent House
ProducerBrandon Curtis
Russian Circles chronology
Empros
(2011)		 Memorial
(2013)		 Guidance
(2016)

Prior to the release of Memorial, Russian Circles released online streams of "Deficit" in August 2013,[2] "Memorial" in September 2013[3] and "1777" in October 2013[4] to promote the album. Russian Circles' first tour in support of Memorial was a late-2013 European tour with Chelsea Wolfe.[2]

Background and composition

Bassist Brian Cook said that Memorial is more "polarizing" between heavy and soft parts than previous efforts, and that the "heavy parts are much more blown out and exaggerated while the pretty moments are far more restrained, delicate, and atmospheric."[2] Cook also described the album as being darker and more somber than previous efforts.[3] Inspired by Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals, Memorial's album structure features the similarly composed intro/outro songs "Memoriam" and "Memorial" to make the album start and end in the same place.[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic88/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk(8.5/10)[6]
Allmusic[7]
Exclaim!(8/10)[8]
The Guardian[9]
PopMatters(10/10)[10]
Pitchfork(7.8/10)[11]
Sputnikmusic(5.0/5)[12]

Memorial received critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 88, based on 8 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] Writing for AllMusic, Gregory Heaney praised the album, stating that Memorial was "one of the band's strongest works to date", giving it four-and-half-stars out of five.[7] Brice Ezell of PopMatters rated the album ten out of ten and called it "one of 2013’s true artistic masterpieces".[10] Dom Lawson from The Guardian was also positive, writing that "Right now, few bands conjure such vital and nourishing food for the imagination."[9] Exclaim!'s Farah Barakat wrote, "There's no questioning, however, the intricate craftsmanship that makes Memorial a memorable release in Russian Circles' ever-expanding discography."[8] Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork praised the band's ability to create interesting music with such a sparse, largely vocal-devoid lineup.[11]

Memorial appeared on several publications' year-end lists.

Accolades
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
2013Obscure SoundUnited States "Best Albums of 2013"28[13]
2013PopMattersUnited States "The 75 Best Albums of 2013"54[14]
2013PopMattersUnited States "The Best Metal Albums of 2013"12[15]
2013PitchforkUnited States "The Top 40 Metal Albums of 2013"13[16]

Track listing

All music written by Russian Circles.[1]

No.TitleLength
1."Memoriam"1:28
2."Deficit"6:41
3."1777"7:20
4."Cheyenne"4:24
5."Burial"4:43
6."Ethel"4:02
7."Lebaron"4:36
8."Memorial"3:45
Total length:36:59

Personnel

Memorial personnel adapted from CD liner notes.[1]

Chart positions
Chart (2013) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[17] 136
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[18] 14
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[19] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[20] 24
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[21] 38
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[22] 17
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[23] 4
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References
  1. Memorial (Media notes). Russian Circles. Sargent House. 2013. CD digipack. SH110.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. Adams, Gregory (August 8, 2013). "Russian Circles Unveil 'Memorial,' Premiere New Track". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  3. Blistein, Jon (September 13, 2013). "Russian Circles Brood on Meditative 'Memorial' – Song Premiere". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  4. Ritchie, Matthew (October 7, 2013). "Russian Circles – '1777'". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  5. "Memorial Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  6. "Russian Circles: Memorial". AbsolutePunk. December 5, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  7. Heaney, Gregory. "Memorial - Russian Circles : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  8. "Russian Circles: Memorial". Exclaim!. October 25, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  9. Lawson, Dom (October 24, 2013). "Russian Circles: Memorial - review". The Guardian. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  10. Ezell, Brice (October 21, 2013). "Russian Circles: Memorial". PopMatters. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  11. "Russian Circles: Memorial". Pitchfork. November 21, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  12. "Russian Circles: Memorial". Sputnikmusic. November 1, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  13. Mineo, Mike. "Best Albums of 2013: #21 to #30". Obscure Sound. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  14. "The 75 Best Albums of 2013". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  15. "The Best Metal Albums of 2013". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  16. Brandon Stosuy (2013-12-26). "The Top 40 Metal Albums of 2013". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  17. "Russian Circles Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  18. "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  19. "Russian Circles Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  20. "Russian Circles Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  21. "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  22. "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  23. "Russian Circles Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
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