Ataxia (album)

Last updated
Ataxia
Ataxia cover.JPG
Studio album by
Circus Devils
ReleasedOctober 31, 2008
Recorded2007 / 2008 at Waterloo Sound Recording in Kent, Ohio
Genre Experimental rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock
Label Happy Jack Rock Records
Producer Todd Tobias
Circus Devils chronology
Sgt. Disco
(2007)		Ataxia
(2008)		 Gringo
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Skyscraper Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The Sunday Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Indieville.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Ataxia is the sixth studio album released by the American alternative/psychedelic rock band Circus Devils on October 31, 2008. All songs on Ataxia were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias, and Tim Tobias.

Contents

Reaction

Steve Five for Skyscraper Magazine wrote,

The music jumps from dark crawlspace paranoia to sexy swaggering rock to postpunk jerky new wave to ethereal planes of exultation, all within matters of seconds. One moment you’re bobbing your head and the next moment you’re terrified, asking yourself, “What’s going on here? This is scaring me.” And though Circus Devils have always followed whatever crooked and strange or delicately beautiful paths they’ve chosen, their records have gotten consistently more and more intricate, refined, bold, and solid, Ataxia being their most dynamic and strange offering as of yet." [1]

The London Sunday Times's Stewart Lee added,

The determinedly annoying Circus Devils' sixth album finds Robert Pollard sounding like a peyote-visionary lumberjack who has wandered into a rehearsal by a 1970s progressive-rock band, then edited the giant jams down into exhilarating two-minute slivers. Ataxia is Yes’s Tales From Topographic Oceans remade in miniature from pottery fragments and human toenail clippings.

Indieville.com wrote,

The overall tone of Ataxia is almost Gothic in its dark mystique. Songs seem to bubble up amidst a cauldron of haunting, atmospheric sounds. "Get Me Extra!," for example, emerges from an uneasy haze of feedback, while opener "Under Review" has to battle a morose drone in order to attain footing. This makes for an intriguing album that is more than a set of songs, but instead a continuing story; this, in turn, frames the record's better songs nicely. [2]

Track listing

  1. "Under Review"
  2. "I Razors"
  3. "Freedom's Monster"
  4. "That's the Spirit" (inst.)
  5. "Backwash Television"
  6. "The Girls Will Make It Happen"
  7. "Mayflower Brought Disease"
  8. "Stars, Stripes and Crack Pipes"
  9. "Ataxia" (inst.)
  10. "Nets at Every Angle"
  11. "Hi, I'm Martha. How are you?"
  12. "Lunatic Style"
  13. "Get Me Extra!"
  14. "I Found the Black Mind"
  15. "He Had All Day"
  16. "Fuzz in the Street"
  17. "Rat Faced Ballerina"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guided by Voices</span> American indie rock band

Guided by Voices (GBV) is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted of Pollard, his brother Jim, Mitch Mitchell, Tobin Sprout, Kevin Fennell (drums), and bassist Greg Demos. Noted at first for its lo-fi aesthetic and Portastudio four-tracks-to-cassette production methods, Guided by Voices' music was influenced by early post–British Invasion garage rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk rock and post-punk. The band has had a prolific output, releasing 35+ full-length albums along with many other releases, and has garnered a dedicated cult following. Their songs are known for their frequent brevity and for ending abruptly or intertwining with homemade sound effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archive (band)</span> British band

Archive are a musical group based in London, England, whose music spans electronic, trip hop, avant-garde, post-rock and progressive rock. Over their 28-year history, the band has released twelve studio albums and enjoyed established success throughout Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Pollard</span> American singer and songwriter

Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr. is an American singer and songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices. In addition to his work with Guided by Voices, he continues to have a prolific solo career with 22 solo albums released so far.

<i>Red Roses for Me</i> 1984 studio album by The Pogues

Red Roses for Me is the debut studio album by the London-based band the Pogues, released on 15 October 1984. It was produced by Stan Brennan, who had managed the Nipple Erectors/The Nips and Rocks Off Records shop in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circus Devils</span> American rock band

Circus Devils is an American psychedelic rock band founded in 2001 by Robert Pollard, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the Dayton, Ohio, band Guided by Voices. The band consists of Pollard, Todd Tobias, and Tim Tobias (music).

Todd Tobias is an American multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known for his work with Robert Pollard and his band Guided by Voices. Other projects include Circus Devils, Kramies, The Library Is On Fire, and musical theater composer and lyricist George Griggs.

<i>Sgt. Disco</i> 2007 album by Circus Devils

Sgt. Disco is the fifth studio album by the Ohio psychedelic/experimental rock band Circus Devils. The album was released first as a double-vinyl LP. The CD version of the album was released by Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings label on August 28, 2007. Sgt. Disco features Robert Pollard on vocals and Todd Tobias on all instruments and atmospheres.

<i>The Harold Pig Memorial</i> 2002 album by Circus Devils

The Harold Pig Memorial is the second studio album by the American psychedelic rock trio Circus Devils, released in 2002. Conceived as a concept album, each song depicts an episode in the life of biker Harold Pig as told by Harold's friends at his wake.

<i>Pinball Mars</i> 2003 album by Circus Devils

Pinball Mars is the third studio album from Ohio alternative rock band Circus Devils. The album, written as a mini-rock opera, was released in 2004. All songs were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias and Tim Tobias.

<i>Ringworm Interiors</i> 2001 album by Circus Devils

Ringworm Interiors is the debut album from the Ohio psychedelic rock trio Circus Devils. Released in 2001, the album is a collage of brash musical vignettes with moods ranging from aggressive and disorienting to haunting and dreamy.

<i>Five</i> (Circus Devils album) 2005 album by Circus Devils

Five is the fourth studio album by the experimental/psychedelic rock band Circus Devils. Released in 2005, Five is considered among the band's least accessible albums due to the fragmented moods and styles and the experimental nature of the music. All songs on Five were written and performed by Robert Pollard and Todd Tobias.

<i>Gringo</i> (album) 2009 album by Circus Devils

Gringo is the seventh studio album released by the American psychedelic rock band Circus Devils in 2009. All songs on Gringo were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias, and Tim Tobias. The first all-acoustic album released by Circus Devils, Gringo is a song cycle in which each track recounts a moment in the life of a nameless drifter known only as "the Gringo." The moods on the album range widely between jubilant to melancholy to mean.

<i>Mother Skinny</i> 2010 album by Circus Devils

Mother Skinny is the eighth studio album released by the American psychedelic rock band Circus Devils in March, 2010. All songs on Mother Skinny were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias, and Tim Tobias. The album is a return to the aggressive rock sound of the band's earlier albums, following the mostly acoustic 2009 album Gringo.

<i>Capsized!</i> 2011 album by Circus Devils

Capsized! is the ninth studio album released by the American rock band Circus Devils in October, 2011. All songs on Capsized! were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias, and Tim Tobias.

"Even Though Our Love Is Doomed" is a song by American alternative rock band Garbage. It was released as the second single from the band's sixth studio album Strange Little Birds on May 27, 2016, by their independent label Stunvolume.

<i>Zeppelin Over China</i> 2019 studio album by Guided by Voices

Zeppelin over China is the 27th studio album by American indie rock group Guided by Voices. It was released on February 1, 2019 on the Rockathon Records label and was recorded at Magic Door in New Jersey, Serious Business Records in New York and Stillwater Lodge in Dayton, Ohio. The double album received mixed to favorable reviews from critics scoring 65 out 100 on aggregate website Metacritic and four out five stars on AllMusic, with several critics commenting on the positive output of the band's current lineup.

<i>When Machines Attack</i> 2013 album by Circus Devils

When Machines Attack is the tenth studio album from the American psychedelic rock trio Circus Devils. The album, which has an abrasive, aggressive sound, was released in 2013, in conjunction with the album My Mind Has Seen the White Trick, which in contrast to When Machines Attack, has a gentler music style. All songs were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias and Tim Tobias.

<i>My Mind Has Seen The White Trick</i> 2013 album by Circus Devils

My Mind Has Seen The White Trick is the eleventh studio album from the American psychedelic rock trio Circus Devils. The album marks the first time the band reversed its songwriting process by first recording Robert Pollard's unaccompanied, a capella vocals before the music was written. On every other Circus Devils albums, band members Todd Tobias and Tim Tobias recorded the music first. Also for the first time, the band utilizes jazz-influenced rhythms on certain tracks. All songs were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias and Tim Tobias.

<i>Escape</i> (Circus Devils album) 2014 studio album by Circus Devils

Escape is the 12th studio album from the American psychedelic rock trio Circus Devils. The album's relaxed atmosphere sets it apart from the band's other works. All songs were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias and Tim Tobias.

<i>Stomping Grounds</i> (album) 2015 album by Circus Devils

Stomping Grounds is the 13th studio album from the American psychedelic rock trio Circus Devils. The album is divided into two halves, with side one of the vinyl record having a more aggressive, classic rock sound, in contrast with side two, which is more relaxed and pensive. All songs were written and performed by Robert Pollard, Todd Tobias and Tim Tobias.

References

  1. 1 2 "Circus Devils, Ataxia". Skyscraper Magazine.[ dead link ]
  2. 1 2 "Circus Devils, Ataxia". The Times .[ dead link ]
  3. ↑ Flander, Matthew (2008-11-10). "Ataxia". Popmatters . Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  4. ↑ "Review". Indieville.[ dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.