Drill For Absentee- Circle Music + 4 [2024 Remaster w/ Bonus Tracks]

$0.00 - $25.00

Drill For Absentee- Circle Music + 4 [2024 Remaster w/ Bonus Tracks]

$0.00 - $25.00

Drill For Absentee reformed in 2021 after a 20-year hiatus with a plan to record a single, new song and release it on the internet. The impetus for this project was twofold: DFA released very few tracks in the 1990s and had a thin catalog, and making music in the post-hardcore style is a fun and engaging musical endeavor that the band members were eager to take up again.

Michael Nace and Kevin Kelly teamed up with Okinawa drummer Ken Kuniyoshi and embarked on a fully remote recording odyssey. One song grew to 4 and then 8. The Strand of a Lake, Volume 1 EP was released on September 13, 2022, with Volume 2 to follow in due course.

In the interim, it seemed like a good idea to re-release the long out-of-print releases originally issued by The MindWalk Recording Label on one 12-inch vinyl record. The Circle Music EP was released on CD and never had a vinyl release, and only 1,000 copies were pressed for the debut, self-titled 7-inch.

The new LP, “Circle Music + 4,” features all of the band’s previously released music from the 1990s – the 5 tracks from the Circle Music EP plus the 2 tracks from the 7-inch – as well as “Drown In Words” from the 7-inch session and “The Sea is Watching,” a new track.

“Drown in Words” was a frequent song opener for DFA in the 90s and remained in the band’s repertoire until they stopped playing in late 1999. The original master tapes for this song are lost, which is why the sound quality is diminished.

“The Sea is Watching” was worked on by the band in 1998 or 1999 and later abandoned. This new version uses a bass track recorded by Kevin on DFA’s 4-track recorder from the late 90s and augmented with new musical ideas from the band and drum grooves from new DFA drummer Ken Kuniyoshi. The sung melody is also a remnant from the late-90s arrangement.

All of the tracks were mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Services.

"Circle Music + 4" was initially self-released by the band on September 1, 2024 on limited edition, 180-gram 12" black vinyl, with Fonoradar Records in Poland offering the LP in Europe. The first pressing of the record sold out in 8 weeks.

In December of 2024, Expert Work Records and Drill For Absentee partnered on a second pressing of Circle Music + 4, which included 180-gram royal blue vinyl, a new matte, reverse-printed back cover with art that incorporates the art from the 1990s releases, and an exclusive digital download of “Throwing Controls,” a previously unreleased track.

The track listing for the vinyl record release varies from the "Circle Music" EP's original track listing.

Side A:

1. Circle
2. Albatross
3. Ars Poetica Scribbled on a Parking Ticket
4. Process Music For Numbers Ascending From Five

Side B:

5. Naked Singularity
6. This Process Will Make Chicago Wave Its Little Hand
7. Detunist
8. Drown In Words
9. The Sea Is Watching

Drill For Absentee:

Kevin Kelly: Bass, guitar, vocals
Michael Nace: Guitar, vocals
Bryan Sargent: Drums, 1995-1999
Ken Kuniyoshi: Drums, 2021-Present

Vincent Novara: Vibraphone and percussion on tracks 4-5

Recording Notes:

Tracks 1-3 were recorded by Geoff Turner at WGNS Studios in Washington D.C. from 7/17 - 7/18/98. Track 5 was recorded on 1/23/98.

Track 4 was recorded by Matt Magarahan at 9 North Church Street in West Chester, PA on 10/3/98.

Tracks 6-8 were recorded by James Mobile at IQ Music Studios in Wagontown, PA over 4 days in the Summer of 1996.

Track 9 was recorded by Drill For Absentee in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Okinawa in March 2023. Drums were recorded in a tunnel under the Okinawa Expressway.

Release Notes:

Tracks 1-5 were released in CD format on the Circle Music EP by the MindWalk Recording Label in 1998 (MW04). Original CD jacket printing by Thingmakers.

Tracks 6-7 were originally released in 7-inch vinyl format by the MindWalk Recording Label in 1997 (MW01). Original jacket and sleeve by Fireproof Press.

Track 8 was previously unreleased.

Track Listing

1. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 01 Circle
2. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 02 Albatross
3. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 03 Ars Poetica Scribbled on a Parking Ticket
4. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 04 Process Music For Numbers Ascending From Five
5. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 05 Naked Singularity
6. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 06 This Process Will Make Chicago Wave Its Little Hand
7. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 07 Detunist
8. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 08 Drown In Words
9. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 09 The Sea Is Watching
10. Drill For Absentee - Circle Music 4 -2024 Remaster w- Bonus Tracks- - 10 Circle -4-track Demo - Digital Only-
11. Throwing Controls-2444

Pressing Information

The second pressing of the LP will be limited to only 250 copies and will include exclusive, new features that were not available on the first pressing, including:

● 180-gram royal blue transparent vinyl.
● A brand-new back cover design that incorporates art from DFA’s 90s releases.
● Reverse-print outer back jacket with matte finish.