13 tracks. Running time 46:40 Aron Kirk writes music designed to reflect the ups and downs of real life, and to instil a sense of uneasiness in the listener. Not surprisingly then Brick Circus is a little out of the ordinary - as the cover art suggests. Instrumentation is a good blend of synths, piano, woodwinds, percussion, and a variety of samples and voice effects. Something about the structure and tones on several tracks is reminiscent of Dwight Ashley & Tim Story. Indeed, Aron lists them as one of his major influences. I think it's the partly off-kilter aspect of the sound progressions - often they're neither discordant or melodic. The opening track is “Brick Circus”. Sounds of a Calliope and distant people quickly give way to an uneasy repeating two note refrain and an occasional eerie cry of anguish. These basic elements are developed further in, along with a percussive and drum based rhythm, plus a simple melody of dully gleaming notes. Upsetting the slow and modest tempo of the album so far is the piece “The Pleasure of Arson”. A funky rhythm and discordant guitar and fuzzy refrains begin alongside see-sawing tones like that of a fire engine's partly disguised siren in the distance. Briefly piquant notes play an upbeat melody, as though someone is thrilled by the bright and hypnotic dancing colour of a blazing fire. This piece has the urban energy, and also gunfire effects, encountered on Paul Lawler's The Bronx Age. Possibly a nod to John Foxx's Catherdral Oceans is “I Prayed for the Damage” where an airy monastic voice wafts across the soundfield to a backdrop of slowly changing drones and a forlorn refrain. Aron's aim to leave a feeling of unease has worked because even after several listening sessions I'm still ambivalent about Brick Circus. The music is careful constructed and the tones can be sonorous or intriguing, yet there's something oddly disquieting about it.