Circuit des Yeux - Reaching For Indigo (Drag City) 2017
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1969 was a very special year for music. The Velvet Underground, Nick Drake, The Stooges, Captain Beefheart, The Who, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, CCR, The Beatles, Frank Zappa, and many more, would end up releasing albums that can and are easily recognized as classics. In the midst of all of that brilliance there was this weird and amazing record, something quite unique not only for the music scene but also for the artist itself. I’m talking about Tim Buckley’s third album, Happy Sad. Buckley was already recognized for his work on his two previous albums (1966’s self-titled album and 1967’s Goodbye and Hello), but Happy Sad sprouted something magical and mesmerizing. It marked the beginning of the experimental period for Buckley, with an unheard before incorporation of jazz elements, and perhaps more importantly he started using his voice as an instrument. A dazzling one, but playing in the same field as the other instruments on the record.
So, why talk about a record released almost 50 years ago in a review of a record that’s being released in 2017? Because Haley Fohr’s Circuit des Yeux managed to replicate the same magical feeling with the sounds on her new album, Reaching For Indigo. Featuring “a lot more jazz musicians from Chicago” and influenced by a sense of freedom and control obtained with last year’s marvellous Jackie Lynn record, the fifth Circuit Des Yeux’s full-length reaches a brand new heights with a multitude of dimensions that gently intertwine.
Each track seems to exist on top of the previous one, taking something from it and adding something for what’s to come. At first you can perceive it as a pure exercise of freedom in experimentation, but as you watch and hear closer the sounds start to take a shape and form that not only coexist harmoniously but also are a part of something bigger. And in the middle of this fantastic 35-minutes sensorial/spiritual experience we have the chance of experiencing what at this point feels like undeniably one of the most amazing voices of our generation – Fohr’s four-octave range is just the tip of the iceberg, if you can believe it. More than a fantastic record, Reaching for Indigo adds meaning and value to the human experience.