Guidance (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guidance
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 5, 2016
StudioGodCity Studio
Genre
Length41:10
LabelSargent House
ProducerKurt Ballou
Russian Circles chronology
Memorial
(2013)
Guidance
(2016)
Live at Dunk! Fest
(2017)

Guidance is the sixth studio album by American post-metal band Russian Circles, released on August 5, 2016 through Sargent House. The album was recorded and produced at GodCity Studio by Kurt Ballou.[1]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Consequence of SoundB[4]
Drowned in Sound9/10[5]
Exclaim!9/10[6]
The Guardian[7]
musicOMH[8]
Pitchfork7.5/10[9]
PopMatters[10]

Guidance was met with critical acclaim. The album received an average score of 81/100 from 15 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] AllMusic writer Paul Simpson praised the album's combination of heavy music and melodic ambience, saying, "Rough and explosive yet perfectly controlled, Guidance is yet another powerful statement from the heavy instrumental rock behemoths."[3] Writing for Exclaim!, Trystan MacDonald hailed the album as "another prophetic portrait conjuring apocalyptic dimensions in the minds of those who listen".[6] Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian wrote that "doom has never sounded so good."[7] Jason Heller of Pitchfork said, "There's an organic and unforced feel to the latest album by Chicago-based post-rock trio Russian Circles, as if songs were allowed to grow wild rather than carefully cultivated."[9] Brice Ezell of PopMatters wrote a slightly less glowing review, saying that the album occasionally stumbles, but that "when [it] hits, it hits hard."[10]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Asa"4:01
2."Vorel"5:30
3."Mota"6:34
4."Afrika"6:32
5."Overboard"5:33
6."Calla"6:24
7."Lisboa"6:33
Total length:41:10

Personnel[edit]

Russian Circles
  • Brian Cook – bass
  • Mike Sullivan – guitar
  • Dave Turncrantz – drums
Technical personnel
  • Kurt Ballou – recording, engineering, production
  • Ben Chisholm – design
  • Robert Cheeseman – engineering
  • Carl Saff – mastering

Charts[edit]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[11] 17
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[12] 6
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[13] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[14] 12
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[15] 22
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[16] 71
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[17] 17
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[18] 4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 55

References[edit]

  1. ^ Adams, Gregory (May 17, 2016). "Russian Circles return with 'Guidance'". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Reviews for Guidance by Russian Circles". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "Guidance - Russian Circles : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  4. ^ Jonathan K. Dick (August 4, 2016). "Russian Circles – Guidance". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  5. ^ Jamie Otsa (August 4, 2016). "Russian Circles - Guidance". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Trystan, MacDonald (August 3, 2016). "Russian Circles-Guidance". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Kate Hutchinson (August 4, 2016). "Russian Circles: Guidance review – towering vortices of foreboding noise". The Guardian. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  8. ^ Sam Shepherd (August 15, 2016). "Russian Circles – Guidance". musicOMH. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Jason Heller (July 27, 2016). "Russian Circles - Guidance". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Brice Ezell (August 3, 2016). "Russian Circles - Guidance". PopMatters. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  11. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  12. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  13. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  14. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  15. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  16. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  17. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  18. ^ "Russian Circles Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Russian Circles – Guidance". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2016.