(Neo Progressive) Cirkel - The First Goodbye - 1984 (CD1993), MP3, 320 kbps

Cirkel was a Dutch band from the mid-eighties that hopped on the progressive rock band wagon.
The First Goodbye was their debut album and this Musea reissue includes two bonus songs.
The first thing I noticed on my initial listening was the similarity of Cirkel's vocals to Depeche Mode.
Cirkel was apparently creating a hybrid of New Wave and progressive rock that sort of works, yet they could have tried harder for some originality.
The bridge in the middle of "A Song of Love and Hate" is the main riff from John Foxx's hit single "Miles Away" and the chorus from "Sea" is a direct quotation from The Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin", "and I love you, oh how I love you."
It is even sung with the same emotional intensity!
The First Goodbye does have its moments, the best being the final track "Elfin". "Elfin" is the most inventive song on the album abounding with majestic themes, distorted vocals, and a musical tribute to The Moody Blues.
If you ever wondered what it would have sounded like if The Moody Blues had been born 20 years later in Holland, you should check out this reissue.