Plumbline's debut, CIRCLES, dives headfirst into the IDM, with a carefully layered sounds and a chopped-up vocals, from the more melancholy "Circle 01" to the more grand tones of "Circle 02" as smaller rhythmic elements whispering in the background. In general, the melodic lines are simple and unadorned, the percussion deep but unintrusive. The gong-like tones on "Circle 04" suggest a cooler tribal groove, while "Circle 05" is lighter and more airy, even as a kick drum finds its way onto the scene. A slight sense of sadness finds its way onto "Circle 07," and some delicacy onto "Circle 08." "Circle 09" has a surprising lightness to it, despite the gritty percussion, and "Circle 10" ends the album on a note of sweetness. A nice listen.

A collection of 10 tracks based on a road trip taken by New York based artist Plumbline from LA to New York. This concept album of sorts is built on with raw sounds and synth work. Human voices open the album, but are rarely used beyond the role of 'highly manipulated external noises'. There is a heavy use of simplistic melodic repetition that is itself broken with rythmns based on anything other than a beat. This is a really enjoyable album rewarding listeners in a capacity of either background or foreground music.