Monday, August 14, 2017

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




Written by Craig Bowles, posted by blog admin

Circus of the West’s first album We’ll See Ourselves Out covers a surprising amount of stylistic ground while tackling themes few configurations feel comfortable grappling with on a debut. The confidence radiating from this collection clearly indicates Circus of the West believed and likely still do how they can “establish” their presence, not through perseverance and refinement, but rather through sheer talent alone. There is a strong argument this is the case. Bands like this are largely absent from the mainstream and those that are commercial mainstays lack the innate chemistry Circus of the West exhibits here. This sounds like a group of musicians who didn’t come together arbitrarily, but rather formed into this existing unit because they are meant to be playing alongside one another. We’ll See Ourselves Out is one of the purest expressions of creative fireworks between top notch performers in recent history.

“Birdhand” gets the album off to an impressively wild and wooly start with its battery of guitar flourishes. The interplay between guitarists Ben Court and Joel Leviton is one of the defining elements of the band’s sound and they exhibit their talents here in an energetic workout that clearly inspires the rest of the band around them. Vocalist Edwin Caldie unleashes a white-knuckle, wild eyed vocal that, nonetheless, shows a deceptive amount of control. It’s always thrilling to hear a band who command their material so completely they can give listeners the thrill of sounding like they are about to run off the rails without ever actually doing so. The pace and intensity calm down with the album’s second track “Some Connections”, but the same kinetic interplay between guitars Leviton and Court create much of its creative spark. The track “Nothing Special” is one of the darker numbers on We’ll See Ourselves Out and the contrast between Caldie’s clean, emotive vocals and the lightly underlined strum and drang of the ominous piano melody is key to its ultimate success.

The comparatively low-fi outing of “Valentine Eye” strikes a notably different note on the collection without ever sounding out of place, but “Looking In” returns listeners to the fiery guitar rock we heard on the album’s opening number. The bass and percussion on the song “Asma” has infectious pop energy and a visceral sound attributable to the production. This is a band that sounds like they are playing right next to you and gunning, in the friendliest way possible, for your throat. The lyrics are rather dark despite the bounce in the arrangement and it makes for quite a compelling juxtaposition. The last full song on We’ll See Ourselves Out is the simply titled “More” and finds the band returning to a more sedate musical landscape with tangible pop leanings. There’s a little something for everyone on We’ll See Ourselves Out and Circus of the West get the material over with great style and deceptively simple sophistication.  

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