REVIEW: moe. “Circle of Giants”

moe. – Circle of Giants

moe. return with their new album Circle of Giants on Friday January 31st and prepare for their 35th anniversary.

Beloved genre bending, New York jam band, moe. return this Friday with a brand new album of fresh material, their 14th studio release, Circle of Giants via Fat Boy Records/ATO Records. In addition to the album of brand new material, the band which was founded at the University of Buffalo back in 1989, will be embarking on a year long celebration of their milestone 35th anniversary, with an extensive tour across North America.

I think all of us have a handful of bands, that for whatever reason we’ve somehow deeply connected with over the years. You know what I mean, From whenever and however we discover that artist or band, something clicks, and they become “our band.” As such, we ride or die with them, through the good and bad stretches for whatever time each of us has left. We become invested somehow, more-so than we do with just those “other” bands we appreciate all normal like. I can’t explain it, and I don’t know why it happens, but however it does, moe. is one of those bands for me. Comprised of Rob Derhak (bass & vocals), Chuck Garvey (guitar & vocals), Al Shnier (guitar & vocals), Vinnie Amico (drums & bubble gum), Jim Loughlin (xylophone, percussion), and Nate Wilson (keyboards, vocals and more). They’re quirky and weird, and I’m quirky and weird. They’ve been through a lot, I’ve been through a lot. They’ve persevered and so have I. I guess we’re just made for one another.

When you feel like you’ve got such an investment in a band, it’s always an exciting time when it comes to new music. Or maybe, anxious is the better word. We’ve all experienced one of “our” bands releasing a clunker. It happens. More often than not, a new album results in a couple of good songs that make it into the live repertoire while the rest fall into deep cut obscurity. So when one of “our” bands release something as wonderful as Circle of Giants, it’s a special feeling. Even more so when that band has been through so much in recent years. In the past decade, the band has stared down bassist Rob Derhak’s cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery as well as the recent unspeakable loss of a child. Guitarist and vocalist Chuck Garvey also suffered a life altering stroke that he continues to recover from as well. Therefore, the album’s first single “Ups & Downs” seems quite the appropriate choice, and though bassist and lyricist Rob Derhak initially wrote the song for someone else, it serves as a perfect representation of where they’ve been been and the resiliency that’s gotten them through it all.

The 10 track album kicks off with “Yellow Tigers,” a fine introduction to the band’s newest member, Nate Wilson. Wilson who helped fill in when Garvey was initially side-lined with his stroke and recovery, subsequently joined the band as an official member in 2023. Here, he immediately jumps into the spotlight with three stellar contributions mined and reworked from previous projects, Ghosts of Jupiter and The Nate Wilson Group. In addition to the lead off track, Wilson also brings “Giants” and “In Stride” all of which are personal highlights for me on the album. Derhak has the most songs on the album,with four, contributing the previously mentioned single, “Ups & Downs,” there’s also has the fun “Bat Country,” the catchy “Don’tcha Know” and the just stellar “Beautiful Mess,” which just might be my new favorite Rob song. Shnier, like Wilson introduces us to three new cuts, the ridiculously good “Band in the Sky,” the steady “Tomorrow is Another Day,” and the long-time coming, “Living Again.”

Circle of Giants had me in its corner from the first casual listen I gave it. It’s been in heavy rotation ever since, with my appreciation of its charms steadily growing, elevating the album to reside alongside such personal favorites as No Doy, Tin Cans and Car Tires, Dither, The Conch and Wormwood. The flow of the album is reminiscent somewhat of the studio polish of The Conch and Wormwood, which utilized live recordings and studio takes to create a vibe similar to moe.’s occasional no-stop segues in their live shows. It’s more the general feel of the production and mixing here on the new effort than continuous segues, but doing what they do best, the band uses plenty of tasty extended middle and outro jams throughout. In particular, Wilson’s contributions really shine through distinctly, particularly on the middle portion of “Band in the Sky.”

Circle of Giants is a remarkable representation of a band that’s as relevant as ever. Solid start to finish, there’s not a single throw-away track to be found, and there’s a consistent and reassuring theme of friendship, camaraderie and family that succinctly ties all these songs together so effectively. Shnier sings in “Band in the Sky,” “Lift Each Other Up,” and I think it’s one of the album’ signature moments. After career defining albums with songs about moths as big as baby raccoons, flying pigs and such, Circle of Giants plays as an album born of love, heartbreak, pain and growth. It’s one of their best and comes highly recommended. The band has already announced the first leg of dates for their 35th Anniversary/Circle of Giants tour with many more to come. I’ll be keeping fingers crossed that I’ll be able to catch one or two and hope to see some of you out there. Pick up your copy of Circle of Giants, keep up with tour dates and everything moe. right here: https://moe.org