''As the Roots Undo'' is the debut studio album by

screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...

band

Circle Takes the Square Circle Takes the Square is an American screamo band from Savannah, Georgia. It is composed of founding members Drew Speziale and Kathleen Stubelek, as well as Caleb Collins. Their debut release was a 6-track self-titled EP released in 2001, foll ...

in 2004. It was released on CD and vinyl by the

Robotic Empire Robotic Empire is an American independent record label based out of Richmond, Virginia, specializing in hardcore punk, heavy metal, and alternative rock. Some of the most popular bands signed to the label over the years have been pg.99, City of ...

and HyperRealist labels respectively. The album would later see a repress on the LP format in 2014 through GatePost Recordings The album is a contender for the most celebrated screamo record.

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...

called it "one of the most critically acclaimed cult classics in modern

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

" which has "long garnered praise from both the press and fans alike for its forward-thinking blend of 90s

, fractured

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...

, and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...

." On June 11, 2010, Sputnikmusic placed it at number 3 on its list of the 100 best album of the decade.

Content and Packaging

The CD is packaged in a four-fold flap with artwork along each side; the artwork was done by band member Drew Speziale. When asked about his influences at the time of writing ''As the Roots Undo'', Drew Speziale referred to bands that were innovating

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and hardcore through incorporating a lot of melody, including their tour-mates

Majority Rule Majority rule is a principle that means the decision-making power belongs to the group that has the most members. In politics, majority rule requires the deciding vote to have majority, that is, more than half the votes. It is the binary deci ...

Pg. 99 Pg. 99 (also spelled pageninetynine) was a screamo band from Sterling, Virginia, a town on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. They are considered one of the pioneers of screamo. The band formed as a six-piece in late 1997 and broke up as an eig ...

and

City of Caterpillar City of Caterpillar is an American post-hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia, formed in 2000. They released a split with Pg. 99, one studio album, and a full-length compilation of demos and live tracks. Their songs, some of which are over 10 min ...

and bands who had "really dark melodies going on underneath novertly pretty brutal sound" such as

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

and His Hero Is Gone, besides less intense artists such as

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock band which originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located i ...

Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenced ...

and Built to Spill.

Track listing

Personnel

;Circle Takes the Square *Drew Speziale - guitar, vocals, artwork *Jay Wynne - drums, sampler, vocals *Kathy Coppola - bass, vocals ;Production and Artwork *Collin Kelly - layout *Matt Gauck - layout *Sam Maynard - layout *Anthony Stubelek - recording

References

External links

*'' All Music page' — As the Roots Undo on

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

2004 albums Circle Takes the Square albums Robotic Empire albums Concept albums {{2000s-punk-rock-album-stub