As the Roots Undo
| As the Roots Undo | ||||
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| Studio album by Circle Takes the Square | ||||
| Released | January 6, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | May 2003 | |||
| Genre | Screamo, grindcore, post-rock, experimental | |||
| Length | 44:01 | |||
| Label | Robotic Empire | |||
| Circle Takes the Square chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Punknews.org |  |
| Stylus | C |
| scenepointblank | (8.1/10) |
| Sputnikmusic |
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| A Distorted Reality |
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As the Roots Undo is the debut studio album by screamo band Circle Takes the Square in 2004. It was released on CD and vinyl by the Robotic Empire and HyperRealist labels respectively. The CD is packaged in a four-fold flap with artwork along each side; the artwork was done by band member Drew Speziale. The album booklet reads: "In a nutshell the concept behind the songs was to document the different points on a path to self-realization. In our interpretation of this journey, the wanderer ends up essentially in the same place that he or she began, if not humbled and even more overwhelmed. In a sense the ending is somewhat tragic, but without experiencing all of the lows how can anyone ever appreciate the amazing subtleties that this world has to offer? And so, if the search for beauty and understanding is cyclical and unending, then at least we'll never stop experiencing the thrill of the hunt..."
The album is a contender for the most celebrated screamo record. Noisey called it "one of the most critically acclaimed cult classics in modern hardcore" which has "long garnered praise from both the press and fans alike for its forward-thinking blend of 90s screamo, fractured grindcore, and experimental post-rock." On June 11, 2010, Sputnikmusic placed it at number 3 on its list of the 100 best album of the decade.
When asked about his influences at the time of writing As the Roots Undo, Drew Speziale referred to bands that were innovating punk and hardcore through incorporating a lot of melody, including their tour-mates Majority Rule, Pg. 99 and City of Caterpillar and bands who had "really dark melodies going on underneath [an] overtly pretty brutal sound" such as Orchid and His Hero Is Gone, besides less intense artists such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill.
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