Seven Circles
Encyclopedia
Seven Circles is The Tea Party
's seventh album, and the last prior to the band breaking up in 2005. The album continues the style of the band's two previous offerings (The Interzone Mantras
in 2001 and Triptych in 1999) by combining world music
influences with rock
instrumentation and electronic
studio techniques. The album is also one of the band's most positive sounding records, forsaking the dystopian imagery and moody lyrics of past albums, and including several ballads that border on love-song territory. This change in focus has led to both praise and criticism from fans.
The album is dedicated to the memory of Steve Hoffman, the late manager of The Tea Party, who died of lung cancer
in October 2003. Track 4, "Oceans
" was written in his honour, with a promotional single released in May 2005 The Tea Party hoped to bring more attention to the Steven Hoffman Fund.
Seven Circles marks the first time that Jeff Martin
has duetted with another artist; "Wishing you would Stay" features fellow Canadian vocalist Holly McNarland
, as a counterpoint to Martin's baritone.
The album peaked at number 5 on Billboard
s Top Canadian Album chart, reaching gold status in Canada
. Seven Circles also received a nomination for "Rock Album of the Year" at the 2005 Juno Awards.
The Tea Party
The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s up until 2005 when the band broke up, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records...
's seventh album, and the last prior to the band breaking up in 2005. The album continues the style of the band's two previous offerings (The Interzone Mantras
The Interzone Mantras
The Interzone Mantras is the sixth album from Canadian rock group The Tea Party.Named after William S. Burroughs' book of short stories Interzone and the band's interest in eastern mysticism and esoteric philosophies, the songwriting on The Interzone Mantras builds on the subtle electronica and...
in 2001 and Triptych in 1999) by combining world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
influences with rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
instrumentation and electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
studio techniques. The album is also one of the band's most positive sounding records, forsaking the dystopian imagery and moody lyrics of past albums, and including several ballads that border on love-song territory. This change in focus has led to both praise and criticism from fans.
The album is dedicated to the memory of Steve Hoffman, the late manager of The Tea Party, who died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in October 2003. Track 4, "Oceans
Oceans (The Tea Party song)
"Oceans" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada, and their last single before disbanding...
" was written in his honour, with a promotional single released in May 2005 The Tea Party hoped to bring more attention to the Steven Hoffman Fund.
Seven Circles marks the first time that Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)
Jeffrey Scott Martin is a Canadian guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for fronting the rock band The Tea Party. Martin began his career as a solo artist in October 2005, when The Tea Party disbanded....
has duetted with another artist; "Wishing you would Stay" features fellow Canadian vocalist Holly McNarland
Holly McNarland
Holly McNarland is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter.She collaborated with Matthew Good on the song "Flight Recorder From Viking 7" from the album Loser Anthems as well as on the song "Pony Boy" from Matthew Good's greatest hits package In a Coma...
, as a counterpoint to Martin's baritone.
The album peaked at number 5 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Top Canadian Album chart, reaching gold status in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Seven Circles also received a nomination for "Rock Album of the Year" at the 2005 Juno Awards.
Track listing
All songs written by The Tea Party, except tracks 6, 7, and 8 written by The Tea Party and Bob Rock.- "Writing's on the WallWriting's on the Wall"Writing's on the Wall" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was animated by Stuart Chatwood and Stephen Scott....
" – 2:40 - "StargazerStargazer (The Tea Party song)"Stargazer" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in Toronto...
" – 4:11 - "One Step Closer Away" – 3:49
- "OceansOceans (The Tea Party song)"Oceans" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada, and their last single before disbanding...
" – 4:35 - "Luxuria" – 4:25
- "Overload" – 3:53
- "Coming Back Again" – 4:44
- "The Watcher" – 4:16
- "Empty Glass" – 3:16
- "Wishing You Would Stay" – 4:11
- "Seven Circles" – 7:36
Singles
- "Writing's on the WallWriting's on the Wall"Writing's on the Wall" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was animated by Stuart Chatwood and Stephen Scott....
" - "StargazerStargazer (The Tea Party song)"Stargazer" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in Toronto...
" - "OceansOceans (The Tea Party song)"Oceans" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada, and their last single before disbanding...
"
Recording Personnel
- Produced by: Gavin BrownGavin Brown (musician)Gavin "Golden" Brown is a multi-platinum, multi-Juno Award-winning Canadian record producer, songwriter, and musician.Brown is based in Toronto, Canada and Los Angeles, California. Having worked with a variety of acts, Gavin is best known for both his ability to develop and break young artists,...
and Jeff MartinJeff Martin (Canadian musician)Jeffrey Scott Martin is a Canadian guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for fronting the rock band The Tea Party. Martin began his career as a solo artist in October 2005, when The Tea Party disbanded....
(Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11), Bob RockBob RockRobert Jens Rock, , is a Canadian musician, sound engineer, and record producer best known for producing bands such as Aerosmith, The Cult, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, 311, Metallica, Our Lady Peace, The Offspring and most recently Bush.-Payola$ and Rock and Hyde:Rock began his music career in Langford,...
(Tracks 6, 7, 8) - Recorded at: Orange Studios (TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
) and Plantation Studios (Haiku Hill, MauiMauiThe island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
) - Engineered by: Eric Ratz and Eric Helmkamp
- Mixed by: Randy Staub
- Mixed at: The Warehouse Studio, VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
- Special Thanks: David GiammarcoDavid GiammarcoDavid Giammarco is a Canadian-born television personality, actor, journalist, and author of the book For Your Eyes Only: Behind the Scenes of the James Bond Films.-Background:...
Art Details
- Art Direction: Stuart ChatwoodStuart ChatwoodStuart Chatwood, is a Canadian musician, best known as the bass guitar and keyboard player for the rock band The Tea Party. The Tea Party are known for fusing together musical styles of both the Eastern and Western worlds, in what they call "Moroccan roll"...
and Antoine Moonen - Layout and Design by: Antoine Moonen