Circles Around The Sun – Language

I am a longtime fan of Circles Around The Sun (CATS), but somehow I missed their 2023 release Language. It is a relatively short album by CATS standards – clocking in at just under forty minutes – practically an EP.

CATS is an instrumental band that started as a one-off gig for guitarist and singer-songwriter Neal Casal (Blackfoot, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Ryan Adams And The Cardinals, etc.). The original Neal Casal led band created and performed incidental music for the Dead’s “Fare Thee Well” tour (2015). That music and subsequent album did well enough for CATS to become a real band. Then there was the tragic death of Casal (2019). The band has managed to more than carry on after the death of Casal, they have grown and thrived.

On Language, the jam band Grateful Dead vibe of their origin has evolved into Pink Floyd crossed with a ‘70s soul/funk/jazz-fusion groove. It manages to be spacey and funky. It is a new sound, but not out of character for the band. I like it a lot. Per the band’s website:

“The new material finds them oscillating through hybrid strains of disco-funk, soul jazz, and psychedelic rock, harnessing their stylistic lanes into a singular, intoxicating brew.“

Since the death of Neal Casal the band has managed guitar duties by committee. Language introduces John Lee Shannon as the permanent CATS guitarist (although he was the guitarist on the CATS 2022 live album too: Live At The Charleston Pour House 11/12/21). Shannon, a one-time Casal collaborator, brings both Neal’s spirit and his own voice to the proceedings. Given this album sounds different from prior CATS releases, I assume his role is more than hired gun.

The harpist Mikaela Davis is a guest on the final and titular track. Her harp is a perfect touch of spice for the band. Evidently, she has been opening for CATS on the road.

I am sorry to have missed this in 2023, it would have been on my best-of list for sure. This is gentle enough to be background music, but sophisticated enough for intentional listening.