KYUSS
...AND THE CIRCUS LEAVES TOWN (1995)
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I loved "Blues for the Red Sun" and "Welcome to Sky Valley." While "...And the Circus Leaves Town" did not immediately strike me as a great album, it slowly grew on me through repeated listens and, over time, it has racked up more plays on my i-pod than either of those albums. Over two years later, I still find myself appreciating it in new ways.
It is initially difficult to appreciate Circus because it doesn't really sound like a Kyuss album in several respects. In place of sprawling, "Freedom Run" style epics, Circus is basically a collection of medium length grooves. Even the 11 minute album closer plays more like a medley of short riff jams than a through composed epic. Meanwhile, the band's trademark organic guitar voices are replaced with a thick, beefy growl that foreshadows the early QOTSA "robot rock" sound. On the vocals, John Garcia sings as much as he snarls. And his lyrics eschew the awesome ego tripping bombast of Gardenia and Green Machine for something a lot moodier and more complex. Taken together, these changes create an overall feel that is very different from both earlier Kyuss albums and the early QOTSA output that followed.
The basic idea of "Circus," as I interpret it, is that Kyuss puts away the bag of tricks they could have easily used over and over again (I think that is what is meant by "the Circus") and engages the listener on a much humbler level. There is still considerable grandeur in this album, but it is not a grandeur that says "I am great." It is the grandeur of being small and human, doubting oneself and marveling at the greatness around oneself. In the Yawning Man cover Catamaran, John Garcia sings "smooth stones behind me / cold air surrounds / soft and savory / it can take you to God." I think that about sums it up.
It is initially difficult to appreciate Circus because it doesn't really sound like a Kyuss album in several respects. In place of sprawling, "Freedom Run" style epics, Circus is basically a collection of medium length grooves. Even the 11 minute album closer plays more like a medley of short riff jams than a through composed epic. Meanwhile, the band's trademark organic guitar voices are replaced with a thick, beefy growl that foreshadows the early QOTSA "robot rock" sound. On the vocals, John Garcia sings as much as he snarls. And his lyrics eschew the awesome ego tripping bombast of Gardenia and Green Machine for something a lot moodier and more complex. Taken together, these changes create an overall feel that is very different from both earlier Kyuss albums and the early QOTSA output that followed.
The basic idea of "Circus," as I interpret it, is that Kyuss puts away the bag of tricks they could have easily used over and over again (I think that is what is meant by "the Circus") and engages the listener on a much humbler level. There is still considerable grandeur in this album, but it is not a grandeur that says "I am great." It is the grandeur of being small and human, doubting oneself and marveling at the greatness around oneself. In the Yawning Man cover Catamaran, John Garcia sings "smooth stones behind me / cold air surrounds / soft and savory / it can take you to God." I think that about sums it up.
1. Hurricane
2. One Inch Man
3. Thee Ol' Boozeroony
4. Gloria Lewis
5. Phototropic
6. El Rodeo
7. Jumbo Blimp Jumbo
8. Tangy Zizzle
9. Size Queen
10. Catamaran
11. Spaceship Landing
2. One Inch Man
3. Thee Ol' Boozeroony
4. Gloria Lewis
5. Phototropic
6. El Rodeo
7. Jumbo Blimp Jumbo
8. Tangy Zizzle
9. Size Queen
10. Catamaran
11. Spaceship Landing
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