Snout – Circle High and Wide (Au-go-go)  The follow-up to 1996’s The New Pop Dialogue and Snout's debut What's That Sound?, Circle High and Wide is easily their most accomplished album to date. Its success is in the way it combines the boldness of What's That Sound? With the exploratory nature of The New Pop Dialogue, recalling the finer moments of both and creating songs that surpass any off these records.

There's something very classic about the Snout sound; they reference 60s pop, 70s funk, 80s hip-hop and rock from all three decades, adapting these elements to suit their purpose. More than ever, beats are the focus of this record. You could call this hip-hop played with a rock’n’roll sensibility or rock’n’roll played with hip-hop flair – whichever way you look at it, it'll make your feet itchy. 

Greg Ng continues to use his turntable to compliment their skewed pop (check out ‘Down Without A Sound’) and his guitar sounds even more like Tom Verlaine's. Ross McLennan's vocals are more expressive than ever; on ‘Got Sold On Heaven’, soon to e released as the third single from this album (and also probably the catchiest song here), they're perfect. 

It's only been four years, but with Circle High And Wide, Snout prove they've come a long way. 

* * * *  Eileen Dick