As if a full-time schedule with one band wasn't enough, Stavesacre's Mark Saloman offers Outer Circle, a new side project (with a new group of musicians) that takes a new look at Saloman's old school punk roots. Where Stavesacre melds elements of punk, alternative and hard rock, Outer Circle plays pure, unadulterated, no-frills, a-four-count-and-three-chords punk rock. Indeed Outer Circle rarely deviates from this bare-bones approach. There are no guitar solos, only a couple of extended "verses" to introduce songs, and the album's 11 songs all fit in a quick 28 minutes. But the simplicity of the music puts Saloman's voice squarely in the spotlight. His vocals make the record interesting and his words give it depth. Compared to Saloman's lyrics, the music is deceptively simplistic. It's tempting to dismiss the whole thing as a quickly cobbled-together one-off. On closer inspection, Saloman's "outer circle" clearly represents those without power, who are not in the "inner circle" of politics, religion and business. The lyrics ruminate on the meaning of the Psalms, the Beatitudes, and Paul's "peace that passes understanding" cast through the frustration of modern urban life. Saloman's trademarked double-tracked vocals (one of the few production frills present on the record) wrings every drop of emotion out of the songs. It is appropriate Saloman picked old-school punk to frame these songs. This project hearkens back to an era when "punk pop" was an oxymoron; when punk was a tool of anarchist malcontents intent on tearing down the facade of society. It's apparent from the songs his "Manifesto" advocates making a "Clean Break" and forming a "Separate State"--in a spiritual sense--to become a "Creator's Creation." It's not quite religious anarchy. More like spiritual revolution: a tearing down of the old and building up of a new creation.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Josh SpencerYeaaahhhhh....Mark Salomon is singing punk again (this is his side project; Stavesacre is still his main priority)! Punk fans should be seriously stoked...no, this isn't the Crucified reborn, although the vocals obviously bear a strong resemblance--kind of a mix between the frantic full-speed cries of the first Crucified album and the slightly slower, deeper lungs of Pillars. Old school punk…Similar sounding releases
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