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

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Written by Michael Saulman, posted by blog admin

Circus of the West aim high with their debut release We’ll See Ourselves Out. This is an outfit unafraid to tackle serious themes often outside the purview of typical rock songs but never forget to package these decidedly adult reflections in a bracing rock and roll format. They are far more than just crashing thrashing guitar bombast. Circus of the West can definitely deliver the goods and engage listeners physically, but they often turn their attention towards mildly surprising mood shifts and tricky changes in pacing. It demonstrates the extent of their musical abilities and helps make We’ll See Ourselves Out one of the most cohesive albums in any genre you’ll hear in 2017. This is an impressive first outing by any standard and signals Circus of the West is likely a band with staying power and greater dawns to come.

The album, on the whole, embraces an nuanced rock aesthetic, but there’s some notable exceptions. One of those exceptions kicks off We’ll See Ourselves Out on a stomping and exhilarating high note. “Birdhand” features thunderous drumming, guitars frequently raving up, and some brief blazing lead passages. Circus of the West never completely neglects the sweeter aspects of their presentation, however, and the vocal harmonies strewn throughout the song lighten its touch. The second track “Some Connections” is much more emblematic of the band’s approach. The guitar remains a central instrument, but the tempo is much more relaxed and there’s a quiet confidence in the lean, uncluttered way they weave disparate parts together in a dramatic way. Caldie’s vocal has an equal amount of nuance – he’s quite good at varying his delivery just enough to underline the emotion of the lyric without ever lapsing into self indulgence. “Boxes” is one of We’ll See Ourselves Out’s highlights and an even more artful turn than the aforementioned track. The band has obviously invested considerable thought in the release’s track listing and the album builds marvelously and quite coherently from its opening to this point.

The drumming open “Resurrection” promises much and the song delivers. There’s a slight bluesy growl to this song that the band wisely never over-emphasizes and they mix it with enough alternative rock leanings that it takes on its own unique air. The percussion continues to be one of the song’s strongest attributes throughout its entirety. The other outright rocker on We’ll See Ourselves Out, “Looking In”, doesn’t come rampaging out of the gate like the opener, but listeners will enjoy when its initial slow simmer explodes into a raucous guitar attack. “Finale” is, appropriately enough, one of the album’s more theatrical moments, but this shouldn’t denote a lack of sincerity. It’s an exquisitely sensitive piece that benefits a great deal from one of Edwin Caldie’s best vocals. We’ll See Ourselves Out is a powerful and often quite thoughtful debut setting the bar high for the band’s future, but even a single listen to its tracks will leave you convinced they can and will better it with future releases.