EastScene

When I first heard that Anthony Green, Circa Survive’s frontman, was going to release a solo album sometime in the summer of 2008, I thought to myself: “FINALLY! Well it’s about time!” We all know it was well overdue. Not that any of us were surprised anyway. After all, Green is notorious for having so many side projects over the past few years such as High and Driving, Audience of One and his latest –his current alias on MySpace–, Moshtradamus. Essentially, the music hasn’t changed; only the band name has. This is why he chose to simply use his personal name for the official release of his album, “Avalon”, in which each of the songs it features are from all of his melting pot of side projects.
Whether you love him or hate him, face it: Green was born to make music. Whether he was screaming with SoCal post-hardcore group Saosin, or singing progressive rock with Circa Survive or just plucking away to the sweet sound of an acoustic guitar by himself, the truth remains: this Philadelphia native can SING and make mind-blowing music.
The genre truly doesn’t matter, and he constantly insinuates this in his solo album, an album mostly marked by the clean melodic guitars and even a hint of glock and synth. It’s a far cry from Circa’s signature sound of complicated riffs and intricate layers of ingenious music. For this release, he strips all of those layers down to keep things simple and humble, yet keeps the necessary elements to make new listeners love it with every single listen, followed by a heartfelt sing-along.
On the other hand, for those who already love him, the tracklisting was no surprise. Any chance he got during his time off touring with Circa, Green would do select solo acoustic shows around the North Eastern part of America, which would in turn be heavily bootlegged on YouTube. For those who couldn’t get their cameras out in time, the other songs would be on his MySpace, giving his fans an endless supply of previews as to how “Avalon” would turn out. Nevertheless, this was not a deterrent to the excitement that fans felt while they patiently waited for the release of his album on August 5, 2008. Ultimately, the basis for this excitement was simply to listen to the completion of certain songs and more importantly, hearing it the way he always wanted us to hear it.
Rather than an album release full of new material, “Avalon” felt more as if Green were covering his own songs. Every familiar song his fans would actively search on YouTube or on MySpace was taken apart, examined carefully, and meticulously put back together. Now normally, this sort of process bores yours truly, yet with every listen, I always find something new I haven’t heard before. Whether it’s backing vocals that were previously unnoticed or the change in key of a song in its’ entirety, there’s always something new to discover with “Avalon”.
Green really spoiled his fans silly with this release. Not only does he include remastered versions of fan favorites, such as “Babygirl” and “Dear Child (I’ve Been Dying to Reach You)”, but he also includes the High and Driving EP as well as a few demos and videos. Spoiled, I tell you. We’re truly spoiled.

RATING: 8/10