Rating: 9/10
Release: 4 March 2018
Label: Independent

I’m a little late with this review but I wanted to give it a good listen and a fair review. Circle J is a Dutch folk punk band from Utrecht. They are high energy featuring a wide array of instruments including bagpipes, accordion, banjo, mandolin, flute, and tin whistle along with traditional bass, guitar and drums.” In Your Face” is a live album and it makes me want to go and see this band. The quality of the recording is exceptional and the band is extremely talented with all the instruments and vocals perfectly balanced throughout. The songs are great with a perfect mix of swagger and punk worthy of bands like Dropkick Murphy and Flogging Molly and also a scattering of acapella tracks like “Hangover Town” and “The Bonnie Ship the Diamond” that let the singers shine. I love these tracks and not too many bands feature them. These songs feature great folk melodies but also incorporate elements of country, hard rock and punk creating a really colorful mix that works on every level. “Duel of the Fates “ is a perfect example of this with its tin whistle melody underpinning a track that could be considered country or rock.. or something else entirely. “Fields of Pretend”, features bagpipes and banjo along with a great heavy guitar track that ties it all together. It’s a standout track among standouts. If you can sit still while a traditional tune like” Knockapoulka” plays faster and faster you are probably dead. Other standout tracks include “1875”,” The Road, The Stage and The Bottle” and “The Day I Shot Her Down”, but honestly there’s not a bad track on the album and again I wish that I could go see them live. Vocals also shine on this album with interesting lyrics and different styles like gang chants being used to great effect. Circle J is an incredibly talented bunch and the music they create is a bold mix of styles and genres that really sounds great. Each listen brings me a new favorite and so I highly recommend spending some time with this release as well as their entire back catalog of albums. I also wanted to mention that Circle J has recently released a new track called The Wolves. It’s a great track that will stick in your mind and give you a wide smile to meet your daily life.

Tracklist

1. 1875 (Live) 2:46
2. The Road, The Stage and the Bottle (Live) 3:25
3. Diggers (Live) 2:15
4. Bunch of Pirates (Live) 2:22
5. Sunday Mornings (Live) 2:40
6. Hangover Town (Live) 1:53
7. On These Hills (Live) 2:39
8. La Ronde Des Millioraines (Live) 1:35
9. Duel of the Fates (Live) 2:41
10. The Bonnie Ship the Diamond (Live) 2:02
11. Fields of Pretend (Live) 2:43
12. Knockapoulka (Live) 3:52
13. The Day I Shot Her Down (Live) 4:12
14. Jenny’s Song (Live) 3:05
15. The Ones We Left Behind (Live) 2:44
16. The Road, The Stage and the Bottle Acoustic (Live) 3:42