Spiral: Citizen

Citizen was the second offering from Spiral and very different from what was to come it is too. Not yet developed into a ranging space rock, progressive drone with a purpose outfit, album number two instead finds the songs of Spiral far more concise, to the point and, truth be told, less enigmatic for it. Having said that, the general bleakness that oddly enough makes the Spiral sound so appealing is almost in evidence, but with less off the wall vocals and a more conservative approach. The likes of "Citizen Of Earth", or "The Great Red Eye" having an almost REM gone made feel.

The concept of the album (which is fully explained in the review for Machine - the album that would follow this one) is one where human life have willingly become controlled by an all powerful machine that provides, caters, cares and attempts to fulfil the inhabitants of the world it oversees - never having the ability to realise it is in fact creating a life beyond demeaning and humdrum. Now the reason the full explanation of this concept comes with the review for Machine, is that it is an album again based on this story, but intended as a soundtrack for a mooted film, which never appeared. It may sound like a sad tale for a movie, but on the contrary, Machine actually allowed Spiral to move beyond the slightly less far reaching and rounded sound presented here. That's not to suggest that the ever evolving "Moon" doesn't satisfy on numerous different musical levels or that "Of Space" doesn't prove that Spiral have always had the ability to take sparse arrangements and make them into a beautiful depression that remains engaging.

An album that was a solid stepping stone for Spiral, its real merit comes from what it allowed this band to become. At the time a minor part in this band's story, but ultimately it amounts to more than its own end product.

Track Listing
1. Citizen Of Earth
2. Imagine The Void
3. Watching You All Go By
4. Trash Rings
5. Of Space
6. Finally Alone
7. Moon
8. The Great Red Eye
9. The Fall Of Gamelon

Added: December 13th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Spiral at BandCamp
Hits: 1635
Language: english

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