Uncommon Days, Compact Disc [CD]

Circlslide's Uncommon Days features a refreshing blend of rock, pop, and worship styles on thirteen original tunes. Includes "Home," "Love Unfailing," "Up to the Sky," and more.

Circleslide grew out of grassroots ministry opportunities through Youth With a Mission in Missouri. The band soon developed into a sophisticated rock outfit whose immense versatility became one of its strongest assets. Circleslide—now featuring Gabe Martinez (lead vocals/acoustic guitar), Tim Martinez (bass/vocals), Aaron Gillies (guitar) and Mark Alvis (drums)—thrives on this flexibility and uses it to connect with a wide audience. The award-winning band signed with Centricity Records and recently released Uncommon Days, produced in part with some of the band’s musical heroes, Steve Hindalong and Derri Doherty of The Choir—the modern rock act which recorded the classic 1990 album Circle Slide. For more information, check out myspace.com/circleslide and circleslide.net.

Paul: What would you say is Circleslide’s greatest strength as a band?
Gabe: Our commitment to wearing just the right amount of cologne before a concert—that and the blend of our unique sound and our passion to reach the lost and those already inside the church with the most honest music that we can make.

Paul: How is the songwriting process tackled in the band?
Gabe: Tim, Aaron or I will bring a melody line or a guitar part to the rest of the band; and, then, we start sculpting it into a song, calling out chord changes—usually recording the controlled chaos during a soundcheck. When a song starts to take shape, it is one of the most fulfilling aspects of being in this band. Lyrics are usually added later by Tim or me.

Paul: When it came to recording your first label release, was it an advantage that you already had several years on the road?
Gabe: Absolutely. We were able to go into the studio confident of what we wanted things to sound like. Our identity as a band felt more fleshed out and secure, not to mention that it’s us that you hear playing those instruments on the CD for better or worse—well, except for cello parts. And, we did have Derri from The Choir play some guitar…had to. Still, the answer is, “Yes.”

Paul: Was it a thrill recording the album with some of your musical heroes from The Choir?
Gabe: An absolute thrill in every way—from the first meeting at a Mexican restaurant in Nashville to watching Steve play percussion and Derri singing backing vocals. They were very gracious to us, patiently dealing with a lot of our questions about their albums, lyrics, etc. and then steering us back to our project (Oh, yeah, we’re recording an album here, right.) It’s something we’ll never forget.

Paul Colman – CCMMagazine.com

Predictable, Yet Promising Future Achiever

Name your band after one of the genre’s most revered albums, a critical favorite of Christian alternative music’s pioneering heyday in spite of only modest commercial success, and you’re almost begging for comparison. Borrowing their moniker from The Choir’s 1990 release, Circle Slide, honored by this publication in its book The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music (Integrity), where it came in at No. 53, these guys attempt to step into large artistic shoes, only to partially fill them.

Early in the disc, which was actually co-produced by The Choir’s Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty, Circleslide creates a genuinely accessible brand of somewhat predictable modern pop/rock formula songs, featuring the appealing vocals and generic praise song lyrics of Gabriel Martinez. As they progress, you hear them attempt to channel U2 on “Weather Boy (C’mon, C’mon)”—or is that channeling Coldplay channeling U2 on “Possession”? “Noah” and “Meteor” come closest to The Choir, but, again, there’s the inescapable U2 vibe.

The difficulty here is the rather pedestrian lyrical constructions. These are, indeed, “Uncommon Days,” so we need poetic language, not the common religiosity of easy resolutions that dominate here in songs such as “My Reward” and “Walking on the Waves.” Where are the expanding metaphors, the rich subtexts, the subtle artistry that make the songs by this band’s influences so much better than a sermon point put to music?

BRIAN QUINCY NEWCOMB – CCMMagazine.com

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Reviewed by JJ (Pennslyvania), November 18, 2007

Lively and exciting. An excellent music CD. The songs excite and uplift. While not a 100% winner, it's definitely not a failure either.

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