On their third album, Rattle continuously trace the circle’s edge, experimenting with the interplay of time and expectation utilising only doubled-drums, fluctuating tempos and chanting vocal cycles. Through wordless repetition, you don’t have to engage in conscious thought. Eventually, the lines between beginnings and endings blur; they become circular. Encircle could almost be a stripped-back version of The Raincoats’ percussion-heavy Odyshape album. Its four tracks resemble ritualistic meditations.
The insistent drum beats on ‘Argot’, a song about uncertainty, could be from an iteration of Panda Bear’s Person Pitch minus the synthesizers. It carries an epic weight; a perfect backdrop for the jump cuts in an Akira Kurosawa film. Elsewhere, the mystic ’Your Move’, a rousing call to action (“it’s your turn – what are YOU going to do, what’s your next move?”), conveys the feeling of being on hold to a celestial answering machine, prompting some profound soul-searching.
The album builds and disintegrates, emulating the function of a mantra used in meditative practices. This hypno-drone could elicit a spiritual trance, reminiscent of the incantatory rhythms found in magic spells and religious rites. This sonic repetition invites a deeper connection between the audience and the sound, transcending mere words and allowing the music itself to embody the message.
‘Ritual’ taps into the shadowy corners of history and the supernatural, drawing inspiration from a trip to the ruins of the notorious Boleskine House, a site known for its macabre past located on the southeast banks of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. The house was once the residence of the occultist Aleister Crowley, who believed it was an ideal place to conduct a series of mysterious rituals known as ‘The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage’. Often referred to as a ‘portal to hell’, the estate is rich in ominous lore. The track summons imagery of dense fog hovering close to the ground, while a rhythmic gathering of drums converges to invoke a significant presence.
You could view Encircle as a rallying cry in the face of technofascism, encouraging a return to something analogue, simple and earthy. The simplicity is powerful, offering what a distracted mind often misses by maintaining a steady, consistent rhythm. There are no flashy fills or unnecessary embellishments; instead, the third member is space, allowing us to reflect on what truly matters.
