Pitch Perfect
  • Pitch Perfect
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact

black skies - Circadian Meditations

3/6/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Black Skies

Circadian Meditations
self-released; 2013

3.9 out of 5

By Sean Dennison


The first second of Circadian Meditations on the first track “Lifeblood“ is the audio equivalent to being socked in the face from Guilty Gear's Potemkin. I just wasn't expecting anything that heavy. That riff is just…I've never been in a mudslide but this is probably the sound my mind would produce, a sunburst of cyclical guitar noise that's eaten up by the same amplifier it came out of. This is rock music of the heaviest order.

Black Skies is a trio from Chapel Hill, N.C. The music they produce is an excellent blend of stoner metal, psychedelic rock and space rock. The songs are lengthy explorations of simple but heavy drum patterns, tuetonic guitar work and tree-trunk thick basslines. Music like this is where Groovy goes to die.

Circadian Meditations boasts a good amount of surprises, given the genres it works with. The sharp acoustic moments, startling in their displacement, underscore the ferocity of the music they precede. More attention is paid to discernible melody than I would've deemed necessary. The seraphic vocals of Michelle Temple surprised me; I rarely hear a woman spearheading the vocal efforts in music such as this. Actually I can't think of any. The album boasts a good amount of surprises, given the genres it works with. The sharp acoustic moments, startling in their displacement, underscore the ferocity of the music they precede. More attention is payed to discernible melody than I would've deemed necessary. There are enough foibles, basically, that distinguish Circadian Meditations apart from its peers.

Not that the classic elements are not in order. The Hawkwind exodus that is "Lifeblood" is one of the most engaging openers for a psychedelic album I've heard in a while, establishing with adroit skill the mood to follow for the rest of the album. Tubular guitar licks abound in the barely catchy "Black C" while the gruesome instrumental "Time Lord" focuses more on how the drumming carries the composition. There are lyrics but the words are used more aesthetically than for meaning. For example, when Kevin Clark and Temple belt out "Every day is a ray" on "Celestial Coronation" it barely registers even as every syllable is heard above the miasma of churning guitar, bass and drums.

This album made my feel physically excited to write this review. How's that?
Become A Fan
bandcamp
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

       Critique/insight

    We are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent  music that is available for your listening pleasure. We feature a wide variety of genres like americana, electronic, pop, rock, shoegaze, ambient, and much more.

    Massive thanks to @pitchperfect158 for the expertly written review of our tune, Chapter 1, from the Tangents EP . Check it out here. ❤️https://t.co/TIDRHi9vyB

    — AuldWhiteLabel (@AuldWhiteLabel) February 1, 2025

    For those of you craving some real music journalism to cut through the tide of AI generated nonsense we seem to be drowning in check out this from Matt Jensen at @pitchperfect158 https://t.co/9Kf8GMgnvM

    — Garfield Mayor (@garfieldmayor) January 31, 2025
    Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook


    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

Company

About
Contributors

Newsletter

Newsletter

PR Services

PR Services
© Pitch Perfect 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Pitch Perfect
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact