Cieca, which translates to blind in Italian, is the story of a blind woman's journey to survive in a world that is largely based on sight. It explores the challenges, triumphs, and resilience of individuals with visual impairments. Surviving in a sighted world can be an incredible challenge for someone who is blind. Everyday tasks that sighted individuals take for granted, such as crossing a busy street or navigating through a crowded shopping mall, can become obstacles that require careful planning and adaptation. Nonetheless, blind individuals like Cieca manage to navigate through their lives with determination and resourcefulness. One of the key aspects of surviving for someone who is blind is developing and utilizing alternative senses.
Recently celebrating the 10 year anniversary of seminal records On Letting Go and Juturna, indie-prog juggernauts Circa Survive release their album The Amulet via Hopeless Records. Lead by charismatic front man Anthony Green, formerly of Saosin, The Amulet contains the band's signature sound that fans have come to love while still continuing to be inventive and progressive. Includes the single "Lustration". Circa Survive draw influences from soft rock, post-hardcore, experimental rock, emo, progressive rock, art rock, and pop. According to lead singer Anthony Green, Circa Survive have been influenced by Deftones, Paul Simon, dredg, and Björk.
Recently celebrating the 10 year anniversary of seminal records On Letting Go and Juturna, indie-prog juggernauts Circa Survive release their album The Amulet via Hopeless Records. Green s recent penchant for growls are replaced by touches of falsetto, the chorus takes a step back rather than clamoring for attention, and the climax is followed by an extended and meditative outro.
One of the key aspects of surviving for someone who is blind is developing and utilizing alternative senses. Although sight may be absent, the remaining senses of touch, hearing, taste, and smell become heightened. Through the use of these senses, blind individuals are able to gather information about their environment and make informed decisions.
Album Review: Circa Survive – ‘The Amulet’
Circa Survive, a gently psychedelic and otherworldly post-hardcore mainstay, started in 2004 as a project between members Anthony Green, Colin Frangicetto, Nick Beard, Brendan Ekstrom, and Stephen Clifford. Today, CS consists of those same five members, who have lived through a decade of personal tragedy, addiction, the growth of families, and more record labels than can be counted on one hand. With many one-off reunions and sudden attempts at reinvention after long silences, how many bands have stuck together and continued to make music – let alone music that is worthy of sustained attention from their once hormone-addled fans who have since graduated into adult life? The Amulet is Circa Survive’s 6 th full-length album, which already puts them in rarified air, but what really makes it an album worth talking about is simply that it’s one of the band’s best.
2015’s Descensus was released following publicized revelations about lead singer Anthony Green’s battles with heroin. While it echoed earlier struggles with substances that were the thematic focus of Juturna , the band’s first album, Descensus showed that the group was still hungry, still capable, and still committed to making music together. It was an unexpected delight for some fans whose interest had dwindled following the uneven Blue Sky Noise , and the troublingly uninspired Violent Waves. This return – with plenty of claws and teeth – might have been enough. It was not the band’s best, but was certainly a good album that touched on some fresh ground.
With The Amulet we are not just given a re-introduction to the band. It is more than a statement of resilience and a reminder of what once was. Full of creativity, lacking predictability, it is a damn good album that rings with a sense of urgency most bands fail to sustain through two or three albums, let alone a half dozen.
It kicks off with “Lustration,” a song that takes its time setting the scene with a gently rendered and tender melody, before unleashing a barrage of signature guitar lashes and some particularly energetic drumming from Clifford, whose performances across the album are both inventive and bracing. As the first single, the song acts as a map of intent for the album as a whole; there are familiar tricks here, all the moves that one might expect from CS, but they are punctuated, and at places even pleasantly dismantled, by surprising doses of originality. Green’s recent penchant for growls are replaced by touches of falsetto, the chorus takes a step back rather than clamoring for attention, and the climax is followed by an extended and meditative outro. There is urgency, but there is also patience. The song breathes, feels vast, and hides nothing. And it is in the collection of songs that follows that these qualities are all mirrored and even further developed.
“Never Tell A Soul,” as well as the wonderfully energetic “Stay,” rank among the band’s most raucous and simultaneously mind-bending songs. These harken back to their sophomore record, On Letting Go, while incorporating elements that feel fresh and defy categorization. This is not surprising, given that the band followed the release of their last LP with two consecutive anniversary tours, which celebrated their first two albums by playing them in full night after night.
While there is certainly ample nostalgia fueling these now-common trips down memory lane, it was never necessary for Circa Survive to do these tours. They could have easily kept on with their current material, but seemed invigorated by mining their collective past, and from this, may have tapped into something that they lost with the years: a willingness to risk something, to indulge in restlessness. And damn if it isn’t refreshing to hear Green trade in his high-pitched growls for a full on scream here and there.
The album’s centerpiece, and its longest song, “At Night It Gets Worse,” is a dreamlike slow-burn that lulls the listener into a place of vulnerability, with moments of anxiety translated through sudden bursts of guitars that wail and jitter as the track lopes on towards its climax. Similarly, “The Amulet,” the title track and closer to the album, might be among the record’s most infectious songs. With its powerful build-up and invigorating payoff, CS is firing on all pistons with this finale, and its last minute makes for one of the finest moments on any album in their discography. Though Green’s lyrics appear to touch on themes familiar to him, those of addiction, loss, and subsequent redemption, they tend more towards symbol-heavy stream of consciousness meditations, which are more effective than some of his more pseudo-philosophical self-help narratives (Surely “Always Begin” and “I’ll Find A Way” worked for someone, somewhere). Here he seems happier to let the music guide the words, focusing on the feeling at hand, the moment, and his words and voice are the stronger for it.
That is not to say that every moment is entirely fresh. There are passages, and even tracks, where the band retreads onto some familiar territory, as on “Rites of Investiture” and “Flesh and Bone,” the somewhat token ballad of the bunch – but even these are delivered with more strength and tenderness, respectively, than their familiar counterparts from records past. The album is filled out by strange and surprising songs like “Tunnel Vision” and “The Hex,” that show the band meddling with time signatures and melodic tropes in ways they haven’t for years. Dueling guitars from Frangicetto and Ekstrom provide a swaying undercurrent of melody and tension, rather than blaring to the forefront with cheap hooks. The step away from the familiar, back towards a more atmospheric, and at times even chimerical approach, brings out the very best in this band by joining the enthrallment of their past with the clarity they have gained by writing and performing as a single entity for over a decade.
The album’s cover – another evocative entry in the band’s ongoing collaboration with Esao Andrews, without whose work a new Circa Survive album would feel inauthentic – shows a woman, naked in a desolate landscape, bending beneath the burden of a giant, somewhat sinister shell. While the image is arresting, it seems at odds with the overall feel of this album. Maybe this picture is the band commenting on the responsibility of having a platform, a voice that people keep coming back to hear, stripped of all privacy and struggling with expectations. But, The Amulet feels like Circa Survive at their most unburdened – shedding the formulas and trials of their collective past, accepting their strengths and limitations, and discovering something new through their enduring unity.
The album’s centerpiece, and its longest song, “At Night It Gets Worse,” is a dreamlike slow-burn that lulls the listener into a place of vulnerability, with moments of anxiety translated through sudden bursts of guitars that wail and jitter as the track lopes on towards its climax. Similarly, “The Amulet,” the title track and closer to the album, might be among the record’s most infectious songs. With its powerful build-up and invigorating payoff, CS is firing on all pistons with this finale, and its last minute makes for one of the finest moments on any album in their discography. Though Green’s lyrics appear to touch on themes familiar to him, those of addiction, loss, and subsequent redemption, they tend more towards symbol-heavy stream of consciousness meditations, which are more effective than some of his more pseudo-philosophical self-help narratives (Surely “Always Begin” and “I’ll Find A Way” worked for someone, somewhere). Here he seems happier to let the music guide the words, focusing on the feeling at hand, the moment, and his words and voice are the stronger for it.
Technology also plays a crucial role in enabling blind individuals to survive in a sighted world. Assistive devices such as screen readers, braille displays, and navigation apps help to bridge the gap between the visual world and the blind individual. These tools provide access to information, communication, and navigation, empowering blind individuals to lead independent lives. However, survival goes beyond the physical aspects of living with blindness. It also entails psychological resilience and emotional strength. Blind individuals may face social barriers, discrimination, and a lack of understanding from others. Yet, through their determination and self-advocacy, they are able to overcome these challenges and demonstrate their abilities, rather than be defined by their disability. Cieca's survival story is a testament to the strength and resilience of individuals who are blind. It highlights the triumph of the human spirit and the capacity of individuals to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity. Through their experiences, blind individuals inspire others to challenge stereotypes, foster inclusivity, and create a more accessible world for everyone..
Reviews for "Exploring the outdoors: Adaptive sports and recreational activities for the blind"
- John - 1 star
I really did not enjoy "Cieca survive the amuoet". The plot was confusing and hard to follow, and I found myself bored throughout most of the book. Additionally, the characters lacked depth and I couldn't connect with any of them. Overall, I was disappointed by this book and would not recommend it.
- Sarah - 2 stars
"Cieca survive the amuoet" was not my cup of tea. I found the writing style to be overly descriptive and flowery, which made it difficult for me to stay engaged in the story. The pacing was also very slow, and it took a long time for anything interesting to happen. I didn't feel invested in the characters or the plot, and ultimately, this book was forgettable for me.
- Chris - 2 stars
I had high hopes for "Cieca survive the amuoet", but unfortunately, it fell short for me. The concept was intriguing, but the execution was lacking. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, and the characters didn't behave in a way that felt believable. Additionally, the plot had too many twists and turns that didn't add substance to the story. Overall, I was disappointed by this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.
- Emily - 1.5 stars
I found "Cieca survive the amuoet" to be a confusing and frustrating read. The storyline was convoluted and hard to follow, and the ending left me with more questions than answers. The writing style was also not to my liking, with excessive use of flowery language that felt unnecessary. I struggled to finish this book and was ultimately unsatisfied with the reading experience.