Clock Strikes Thirteen
Ever Decreasing Circles
Drive-In Records (US) / Liquefaction Empire (UK)

From out of Pennsylvania (?) comes this rather mysterious sextet named Clock Strikes 13. CS13 are Benjamin Xavier Kim, Cara De La Cruz, Angela DiFabio, David Bohl, Steven Heise and Sam Weng, but I don't know who's doing what. In addition, to fulfill their soundscapes, they've brought in a French horn and an electric violin. If you ever loved Galaxie 500 and Bedhead you'd better synchronize your clocks immediately.

The songs on Ever Decreasing Circles are from the dark and sneaky-feely side, with lyrics handling cold days, long nights, love-sickness, sadness and loneliness. The line between life and death. Melancholic, right. But the hidden beauty is indisputable. After the opening instrumental their low-voiced, gentle pop/rock with jangly guitars and male/female vocals circles around you. Such as in Living Easy and One Cold Day, or the absolutely marvelous I Blinked My Eyes And You Were Gone. Night Must Fall is close-to-catchy (as in "almost-a-hit"), but the lyrics are, eh, a bit too depressive for most people's ears: "...every drop of my happiness walked out in you shoes, and there's nothing I can do about it...". Hope, anyone? Sure: in the last song, The Last Sad Song, the final line goes: "But if you hold me like I dream that you hold me, this could be the last sad song I ever sing".

As I mentioned: if you ever were spellbound by Galaxie 500 and Bedhead don't hesitate buying Ever Decreasing Circles. For then only to await the dark autumn and cold winter nights.

Copyright © 2000 Håvard Oppøyen