The Out_Circuit: Pierce the Empire With a Sound

The Indie Review

By Sean Duregger
March 8, 2008

Artist: The Out_Circuit
Album: Pierce the Empire With a Sound
Label: Lujo Records
Rating:

Nathan Burk (of Frodus fame) is my new hero. With his project The Out_Circuit, he has continued to push the envelope on post-punk and experimental music. The Out_Circuit’s sophomore release, Pierce the Empire With a Sound is a masterpiece that combines beauty with aggression and is the first album of 2008 to really stand out above everything else.

Pierce the Empire With a Sound is not a conventional album, and pretty much requires you to listen all the way through and enjoy this album as a whole. In today’s download culture, we’re getting re-wired to only focus on the songs we like and The Album takes on a secondary role to The Single. The Out_Circuit won’t make sense to you as just A Single. There is too much going on for you to only enjoy one song. One minute Nathan’s vocals are full of post-punk/hardcore aggression, only to turn on a dime to a hushed and relaxed vocal. The Out_Circuit’s combination of full band portions of songs to strictly electronic and ambient sounds is something you need to hear, I can’t do it justice by describing it.

Another aspect I enjoy about Pierce the Empire With a Sound, is the guests Nathan collaborates with. Collaborations with Dustin Kensrue of Thrice, Sean Ingram of Coalesce, Rachel Burke of Beauty Pill, as well as members of Roadside Monument, The Epochs, Haram, make this album a diverse and satisfying listen.

The Out_Circuit’s Pierce the Empire With a Sound is the first great masterpiece of 2008. Groundbreaking and non-conforming to any set genre, it will be something we all will be enjoying and talking about for a long time.

Stand Out Tracks:

“Come Out Shooting”

“The Contender”

“Across the Light”