What I’ve loved about Circa Survive since the beginning of their incredible musical journey is that they continue to progress and change their sound without changing what makes them unique. But when Blue Sky Noise came out I was thinking that maybe they had changed a bit too much. Time will understandably influence any band’s sound. It took time, but Blue Sky Noise grew on me and now I love it. Still, I was both excited and nervous that The Appendage EP would take them even further from the sound of their early music.

I heard “Sleep Underground” played live over two years ago and have been waiting anxiously for it since. I was crushed when it wasn’t on Blue Sky Noise but I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to listen to a version of it with horrendous audio quality on YouTube forever. When I finally saw that is was the first song on The Appendage EP, my heart started pounding and my fingers blazed across the keyboard as I typed my card number in… I didn’t care how much it cost - I had to have it. 

When I opened iTunes, I hesitated, cursor hovering over the play button. What if I had built up so much about the song in my head that I would be disappointed? I realized that Circa Survive would never abandon what made us love them in the beginning, so I took a breath and pressed play.

“Sleep Underground” starts with a steady bass and guitars that feel contained; buzzing in anticipation of some quiet uproar. It’s a subtle build-up to a softness and quietness I haven’t heard from Anthony Green’s vocals in quite a while. It’s almost like they want you to have to pay close attention to be able to hear the song. “Sleep Underground” will never get less than my full attention. Besides it being amazing to hear the song clearly and free of static, the cracking of a bass being too loud for a hand held camera, and fans randomly screaming over the music, there is something to be said for its simplicity. There are no drums in the song (in fact, when played live, Steve Clifford lays on the ground until it’s almost time for the next song), only bass, guitar, vocals, and what sounds like an organ but may be an effects pedal.  The harmonies at the end are ever so slightly off key but it’s a demo, what do you want?

“Sleep Underground” honestly surpassed all of my expectations. Listening to this song takes me back to when I first heard the song and all the memories that came with that night. The song itself is a reminder that music is powerful, personal, and emotional. The end of the song leaves you feeling kind of melancholy, making the next song more powerful.

“Stare Like You’ll Stay” starts with a very optimistic guitar which creates a fun balance with Anthony’s sing-song vocal melody. When the drums and bass kick in, it gives the song energy but it doesn’t take away from the carefree feel. “Can’t you see that everybody goes through the same thing at different times. All the ways that you could say we’re different, you’re wrong. We’re alike,” are some of the simplest Circa Survive lyrics and some of my personal favorite lyrics on this album.  “Stare Like You’ll Stay” has some of Circa’s easiest to relate to lyrics and is one of their most fun melodies since “Mandala.” I’m not a fan of vocal layering in general but it definitely works at the end of this song. 

When I ordered Blue Sky Noise I got “Everyway” as an acoustic bonus track and it was my favorite song on the album from first listen. A full band version is included on The Appendage EP and it does not disappoint. After hearing this version I realize that the acoustic version was just tiding me over until I could hear the full song. I could use a little bit more fullness in the first verse to back Anthony’s voice because it sounds odd for it to be such a bare track, but it’s taken care of in the later verses. It’s nice to hear a full band version of “Everyway” and it makes it sound kind of larger than life.

“Backmask” is a surprise stand out track. At first, the song was nothing special until the bridge, but I found myself going back to the song over and over. I think what is so special about “Backmask” is that it incorporates Circa Survive’s entire discography into one song.  The drums on this track are very similar to the drum sound of On Letting Go, kind of a back and forth, panning sound. There are pauses of silence followed by just vocals for a few words and then the band kicking in together, similar to songs from Juturna. “Backmask” is very drum/bass driven, like songs on The Inuit Sessions. The guitar effects are more familiar, more similar to the guitar on Juturna, but the guitar and overall melody of the song is very similar to Blue Sky Noise. 

The bridge of the song, ‘There’s no need….there’s no need to force it down’ has the energy of Circa Survive’s live between song fills that keep the atmosphere of the show going, and I hope they keep this sound going on their next record. It is such an intense piece of music, the vocals are chilling and the rhythms behind it command so much attention. The bridge is incredibly full of impact and is the part of the song that I am always excited for.

“Lazarus”, the EP’s closing track, starts off slow and melodic. Brace yourself… you’re going to be hearing what I would consider Anthony Green’s most honest and heartfelt lyrics to date. Around 3:10 when the song fully kicks in, it could honestly be at the end of “Meet me in Montauk.” The melodic yet heartwrenching “oh”s of the vocals combined with the high pitched guitars make this song sound like “House of Leaves” older, more experienced, yet unsure brother.

‘At 2 am I’m thinking about how lucky I’ve been. I need to take a moment to myself. At 6 am I’m thinking about how lonely I’ve been. I need to take a moment to myself.’ That piece of the lyrics reaches in, grabs my heart and twists it up into knots. To hear such an honest thought followed by such an honest sounding, heart wrenching chorus of longing, frustrated sounding screams makes me as a listener feel conflicted. I love Circa Survive and I wish they could tour my town once a week but then you realize that when bands tour they’re away from their friends, families, girlfriends, wives, babies….You feel almost guilty for wanting them to be lonely. It makes you feel even more guilty when you find yourself thinking about how much you can’t wait to hear it live.

But it’s okay that it makes me feel conflicted and even guilty… When you think of music, it always has the ability to make you feel. It brings you back to where you were the first time you heard it, how you felt at that moment, even what you were thinking. You remember the first person you shared the song with, who it made you think of, and how you related to it at that time in your life. “Lazarus” is truly a perfect piece of music in that it puts you in the band’s shoes and takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, one that you want to ride again and again.

What The Appendage EP shows is that change is good, and just because some things change doesn’t mean that everything you love has to go away. No matter which direction Circa Survive goes with their next album, I will be there waiting anxiously and with an open mind.

check out our review of Blue Sky Noise.

What did you think of The Appendage EP? Leave a comment!