Pitchfork

Jeff Mangum has really wonderful friends. No really, he does. They're in a band. He tells you himself at the end of this newly unearthed demo, right after a punishing three minutes of minor-chord strumming. Unlike the other demos, here Mangum trips into the distinctive, trance-like wailing for which he'd eventually become well-known. "Circle of Friends" isn't a revelation or instant classic-- it sounds a bit like a prologue to the minimal "Oh Comely" actually. But to hear Mangum discovering a performance mode in which he's comfortable, one in which he can reach and explode those dark, fantastical feelings about relationships-- it's pretty fascinating. Granted, the song's got none of the imagery that elevates his later work, but compared to the other new demos, "Circle" seems the firm first step.