Skip to main content

Circus of the West - We'll See Ourselves Out (2017)



OFFICIAL: http://circusofthewest.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/circusofthewest/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/cotw_circus

Written by Mike Yoder, posted by blog admin

Circus of the West’s We’ll See Ourselves Out entices its audience with a mystical amalgamation of carefully crafted melodic songs that bravely explore the quieter spaces while being unafraid to dive headlong into crisp, bombastic rock n’ roll that frequently goes for broke in terms of the vast amount of ground it covers. 

The album is consistently confounding in terms of its complexity.  On one hand you’ll get up-tempo rock meets punk meets Mason Dixon boogie on opener “Birdhand” or the arena sing-a-long wallop of “Looking In.”  In these moments the band are comfortable within the confines of acrobatic, speedy rock riffs, punk rhythms punctuated by heady work on the snare and walking bass lines and a vocal prowess that sees lead man Edwin Caldie form the focal point amidst a tempest of seamless background harmonies.  These high-octane tracks are instantly contagious, immediately affecting and instantly caught by the ears to form permanent memories. 

Rumbling, blues-riffed gems such as “Resurrection” and “Finale” cement their groove on vibrant electric leads, the occasional burly power-chord salvo, rise/fall vocal sections that have masterful control of tone, tasteful synth/organ stingers like a more stripped-down Uriah Heep and expert arranging/playing that keeps things exciting even when the speed is mid-tempo through and through.  Other cuts like “Some Connections” and the particularly powerful “Boxes” mush on through steady-handed choruses and dipping, lopping rhythms which traverse the many peaks and valleys of punk’s poppy, infectious cousin new wave.  Circus never overuses or really even allows for that dated 80s keyboard sound, instead they substitute sweeping, dual synthesizers for an altogether different effect. 

Circus of the West are even adept at ballads that’s main focus is on piano, Caldie’s soloist-worthy vocal build-ups and subtly grooving drum/bass combinations (see “Nothing Special” for a more electrified take on this ideal and particularly “Valentine Eye” and “More” for the softest demonstrations of such).  A few completely isolated tracks mark the appearance of ideas utilized only in a couple of tracks each, including the jazzy, soul-inspired electric guitar rock of “Asma” and the acoustic country curtain call “Epilogue.”

A rock album of light/shade, melody/gut, and soft/tough, sure/curious is hard to come by right here/right now.  We’ll See Ourselves Out is that album and an outstanding one at that from Circus of the West.  In the end it might possibly possess on ballad too many, there is no direct filler to be found and even on a debut this quintet frequently shines. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yam Haus - Stargazer (2018)

OFFICIAL : http://www.yamhaus.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www. facebook.com/yamhaus TWITTER: https://twitter.com/YAMHAUSBand Written by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin Yam Haus’ debut album Stargazer begins in rousing fashion. The title song opens the album with a short flurry of synthesizer sounds before shifting into stomping guitar and drum driven verses. The slashing guitar work gives the song a great deal of bounce while the drumming contrasts that with straight forward power and Lars Pruitt’s smooth, gliding vocal tone provides the finishing touch for the track. The lyrics don’t remake the wheel or aspire to poetic excellence, but they are a cut above typical fare in this style. “West Coast” has a much more retro slant than the title song, definitely recalling the 1980’s moreso than recent history, but it never looks back to that music too reverentially. The production distinguishes this song, like it does the album across the board, and has a physically engag...
Post a Comment
Read more

Joshua Ketchmark - Under Plastic Stars (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.joshuaketchmark.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/josh.ketchmark Written by Jay Snyder, posted by blog admin From the opening, gentle strum the heart-warming, tumbleweed kicking love song, “We Were Everything” and culminating in the rhythmically pulsating, winding electric guitar leads and spitfire soul vocals of closer “The Great Unknown,” it’s clear that Joshua Ketchmark has arrived.   Hailing from his humble beginnings in Peoria, Illinois and eventually carving a path to every big-time music city in the USA (LA just to name one of many places), Ketchmark is now twelve releases strong in a music career that spans too many genres to count.   Though he primarily operates in old school folk, country, pop and r & b, he also branches out into rock, blues and delicate balladry whenever the mood strikes him.    After the fiery lead-in of “We Were Everything,” Joshua switches into ballad mode with quiet acoustic guitar, d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Black Note Graffiti - Volume II: Without Nothing I'm You (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://blacknotegraffiti.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BlackNoteGraffiti TWITTER: https://twitter.com/blacknotegraffi Written by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin The second full length release from Ann Arbor’s Black Note Graffiti, Volume 2: Without Nothing I’m You, is an eleven song collection that positions this (then) four piece to rise several more notches in the world of indie rock. The band, furthermore, crackles with the potential to take their act far outside the warm but relatively narrow confines of the indie scene. Rock and its musical progeny may swim upstream commercially in our modern music world, but what that means is that the limited room for viable acts culls the fat off the genre and those who boast marquee status truly deserve it. The band’s talents are considerable – musically, vocally, and lyrically. The growth they’ve exhibited since their 2013 debut is surely the result of the inherent talent they’re dealing with, but it...
Post a Comment
Read more