The Lick on the Tip of an Envelope Yet To Be Sent

The Lick on the Tip of an Envelope Yet To Be Sent
Label: Rise Above
Rated: NONE
WorkNameSort: Lick on the Tip of an Envelope Yet To Be Sent , The

It was bound to happen sooner or later: The progressive folk movement of weirdo, underground freaks like Animal Collective and Devendra Banhart was doomed to be infiltrated by earnest hippies more inspired by Renaissance and Caravan than by Nick Drake and Captain Beefheart. Circulus is one of those bands. Emphasizing florid arrangements that they surely view as “progressive,” Circulus employs that most dreaded of instruments – the medieval flute – to nauseating effect as a counterpoint to breathy, Olde English harmonies. As unnecessarily intricate as it is liltingly gaie, The Lick would be decent if it had even an ounce of true freakishness tucked underneath its corset. Actual song, not about Kim Deal and Black Francis, yet delivered without irony: “Power to the Pixies.” Absolutely dreadful.

This article appears in Aug 10-16, 2005.