...and the Circus Leaves Town

Kyuss leaves town, but not before releasing a very solid effort. Right off the bat, this album is not as well constructed or cohesive as the two that came before it. This album is also not what those albums are. It has a very different atmosphere to it like the feeling of somberness and exhaustion hangs in the air. The album is better for this, as who wants the same album over and over again (unless you're Van Halen, then this works?). Trying to construct another Sky Valley would be insulting to the masterpiece, therefore, they chose correctly in a change of direction. This change was more or less thrusted upon them with the departure of key member and longtime drummer Brant Bjork. If you hate on this album because it's not another Sky Valley, just know that there was never going be another album like that again. Look at this album without comparison and you'll find it has a lot to offer.

That being said, there are some downsides to the album to get out of the way first. As I stated above, this album fails at being truly consistent which by most bands is nothing uncommon. This just had the displeasure of following up monster albums that don't have a bad note on them. The consistency falls to the two instrumentals on each side of the record, as well as repetitive riffs or sections of songs at times. To die-hards of Sky Valley or Blues for the Red Sun, I don't think I could ever convince you of this album's hiding greatness.

When I first started listening to Kyuss I wrote this album off as mediocre. Why did I think this? I hated the song names, I thought it had too much filler. I didn't even listen to Spaceship Landing. I gave the album one chance to be good yet didn't find what I wanted so I wrote it off. This album was not made for the casual listener expecting straight foreword rock/metal with a twist of cool sounds and effects.

This album is alternative in the best way possible. Extremely unconventional songs with wild moods and sounds. I like to put Circus in the strange but great (possibly made-up) genre of Alternative/Stoner Metal. I see traces of melancholy and tiresome minds beat down by the record label. A band that has been through many hardships. This is a sad album, not an odyssey through the cosmos on asteroids with space cadets in 100 degrees. This album is probably not for everyone or even most people.

All of that being said I can finally get to my review of the album. Hurricane starts the album off well. If Hurricane is your favorite song on the album, there's a good chance you don't like most of the album. The aggression and fast pace of Hurricane is quickly transitioned in a fabulous one-two with One-Inch Man. One-Inch is an extremely quirky song build around a great groove featuring intense but brief chorus sections. Also features a great guitar solo that doesn't do too much but adds just enough. The songwriting for the album might not be the most advanced stuff you've ever heard, but Garcia does such a great job delivering lines that it meshes with the music perfectly. Thee Ol' Boozeroony follows as an instrumental that doesn't add much to the album but still makes for a solid listen. It's more or less a transitional song setting you up for the intense ride of Gloria Lewis. This is where I'd like to give more props to Garcia's singing on this album. He does a fantastic job throughout Circus, conveying the emotion of songs better than Kyuss's previous efforts. Definitely a highlight of the album. Gloria Lewis is a repetitive Black Sabbathy stoner doom stomp that showcase's Garcia's singing and I can't help but scream along. Here is where another of the album's great aspects shine, as you get led from the doom stomp to a gentle guitar melody displaying images of tranquility. The album may not be the most consistent songwriting of their career but the songs flow into each other with ease making listen throughs enjoyable. That tranquility is abruptly broken by the thunder of the instruments on Phototropic, an album highlight. This is easily one of Kyuss's top songs in their catalog even with the low volume of the vocals. Turn it up to ten and you will appreciate John's singing even more so. El Rodeo ends the first side with a whimsical intro that might take some listens to enjoy. The second half of the song is nothing that couldn't have been found in Sky Valley or Blues for the Red Sun with John again taking the prize. Sadly poor production strikes again and the vocals are almost impossible to hear at low volumes.

Side 2 opens with the weakest track on the album and the second instrumental. While not bad by any means, Jumbo Blimp Jumbo fails to hold your attention as well as suffering from a horrendous name. It's more of another transitional song leading into the underrated Tangy Zizzle (another terrible song name). This song features a driving beat that propels you straight ahead with some classic John vocals. Add the catchy chorus and short duration, and this song makes for an enjoyable true start of the second side. The next three songs solidify this album as a Kyuss classic. Size Queen is a unique slither that features uncommon inspirations such as reggae in the verses and then catapults you through the air with the high-velocity chorus. The ending drone gets cut off as the song Catamaran takes you on a mellow journey through whatever space your mind wants it to. The chorus is another intense beating that interrupts the calm. Finally, the album comes to a close with the epic Spaceship Landing standing at 11 minutes long (or 30 depending on how you look at it). A catalog highlight for Kyuss, the song continually changes and broadens. The chorus is impossible to resist singing. Includes another A grade performance from Garcia and the entire band is firing on high. The ending guitar solo fades into the black as your ride is over and you make exit the music.

All in all this album is a hidden gem to those who give it a chance void of overbearing comparison. The mighty Kyuss walked out of town leaving us with a final album that shows new emotions we never got to see earlier in their career. The band is better off for leaving on this note even if it's not a direct descendant of what has been come to known of their signature albums.

“Yeah, yeah put it in gear baby, that’s what I like about you baby, you are always on time”
And the Circus Leaves town was the final studio album by the legendary Kyuss. Kyuss would endure another lineup change. Brant Bjork the drummer would ride off into the sunset and Kyuss would carry on minus two members. Not to minimize the departure of Oliveri but losing Bjork had to be a punch in the gut. Bjork had so many contributions that went above just playing the drums. The songwriting process included Bjork and he was very instrumental to the bands previous two albums. Circus is a very flawed album, but still it’s got its fair share of quality material and shining moments. Circus is not comparable to their past glories however as the band struggles to the finish line.

The music itself is quite enjoyable despite the shortcomings and the politics involved with the musicians. There is solid single like songs but there is a lack of cohesion to me. Every song to me sounds good by itself but within the context of the album, it just sounds like typical Kyuss. Nothing really new or trailblazing that the band did not already do much better. It plays more like a collection of good songs rather than a cohesive effort from their past. If you like Kyuss, you can put these on and find plenty to enjoy

One Inch Man is one of the songs that is really killer and works as a single. It does have a music video attached to it that is also entertaining. Its catchy and the video conjures up psychedelic imagery with the band playing. This song embodies what Kyuss are about. A little humorous, but at the same time hard rocking and serious. Their more serious side shows up on El Rodeo. It’s a really heavy track that keeps building. It probably could have worked as an instrumental but Garcia uttering the phrase RODEO just sounds so good!

Looking at the song titles, it looks like Kyuss were starting over as a band. They let a lot of humor shine through with titles like Tangy Zizzle and Thee Ol’ Boozeroony. Perhaps the desert and the band politics really got to them so they wanted to make light of the situation they were in. Or they were just on a lot of drugs. It definitely sounds like they had a lot of fun recording what could have been a train wreck.

The Circus was indeed leaving town after all. As they say all good things must come to end. There is a little bit of disappointment due to high expectations but one can only expect so much for so long. I applaud the members of Kyuss for fighting through issues when they needed to and letting it come to a graceful end. Yes, I am ignoring the subsequent reunions of Kyuss Lives and Vista Chino. This is not a place to get into those but I agree more with Josh’s side of the coin. Why reunite and further tarnish? There are plenty of moments where I see the other side of the argument too. I can listen to Vista Chino but it just makes me think of Kyuss and the great music they created.

We all know that Circus is Kyuss last studio album and Josh Homme would go on to form Queens of the Stone Age and John Garcia would go on to form Unida. They knew it was time for Kyuss to be done after Circus was completed. They knew the spark was dying out and I commend them for that. Rather than letting themselves get too stale, they quit before worse things would inevitably come. If Kyuss kept going, I am sure it would have just been Mr. Garcia steering the ship and it would not have worked. In doing this honorable deed, Kyuss cemented their legacy as the premier stoner and desert metal band.

In the early to mid 90s, it seemed like everything was going swimmingly for Californian desert rock band Kyuss. A decent debut album ('Wretch') lead to a great second album ('Blues for the Red Sun'), which then further escalated the band's path to greatness with their best ever release (self-titled album, but commonly known as 'Welcome to Sky Valley'). 'Sky Valley' was recorded in 1993, but released in 1994 due to some contract issues with the label. That would prove to be the least of their problems, since internal issues had erupted between primary songwriters Josh Homme and Brant Bjork. This resulted in Bjork leaving the band. This meant that close friend to the band Alfredo Hernandez (Across The River, Yawning Man, Che, Queens of the Stone Age) would handle the drumming for Kyuss' fourth and final effort '... and the Circus Leaves Town'.

With Brant Bjork's departure, the band was a songwriter short, so vocalist John Garcia played a bigger role in the songwriting now. He wrote "One Inch Man", for instance, which has become a trademark Kyuss track and received airplay on MTV some time after its release. Garcia also took part in writing "Hurricane" and "Gloria Lewis", but these songs are very straight-forward and aren't especially great. This brings us to the point on what makes 'Circus' a weaker effort than both 'Blues for the Red Sun' and 'Welcome to Sky Valley': the lack of Brant Bjork's songwriting! This is no diss on John Garcia; he's a good vocalist with a very distinctive voice and fantastic charisma, but his songwriting pales in comparison to Bjork's songwriting; a man responsible for classics such as "Green Machine", "Gardenia" and "Whitewater", and more. The songs mentioned now are better than 90% of the music on '... and the Circus Leaves Town'.

On a positive note, there are some very, very good songs on 'Circus', too. "One Inch Man"; while simple, is a fun, little ditty with a memorable chorus. "Thee Ol' Boozeroony" is a short instrumental piece with a great beat and awesome bassline provided by Scott Reeder. "Phototropic" has a laid-back, dreamy intro before breaking into a heavier and more straight-forward style and Garcia performing well vocally. "Catamaran" is a song originally written by Alfredo Hernandez and his friend in Across the River (this included bassist Scott Reeder), but Kyuss' rendition of the song does it justice and it stands out as the best song on 'Circus' alongside "Phototropic". "Catamaran" features a "floaty" guitar with a relaxed vibe and a neat bassline, but breaks into heavier sections for the chorus; much like "Phototropic". Album closer "Spaceship Landing" is also worth a mention. An 11 minute epic of fuzzy deliciousness. But the best part of the song is actually the hidden track called "Day One"; a song dedicated to Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl after the passing of Kurt Cobain. A slow, but very Nirvana-like track.

'... and the Circus Leaves Town' would probably have sounded much different with Brant Bjork, as he was the primary songwriter of Kyuss. I can't help but think that his talent for writing very atmospheric music would add another, different, layer to the music on this album. It would perhaps feel more complete and have a better, more natural flow. But with that said, 'Circus' is an album worth a heavy rocker's time. The album is a bit weaker than 'Blues' and 'Sky Valley', but stronger than 'Wretch'; and most other "stoner rock" albums.

It all began in 1994, when I came across the predecessor to this masterpiece. That encounter changed something in my perception of heavy music. This was the sound of early Black Sabbath transformed directly into its Nineties manifestation. And two years later, things even got better, before they got worse (band-split).

'...And the Circus leaves town' is Kyuss' swansong, and if I had to choose, THE heavy album to be taken on a desert island (including of course a powerful stereo system and electric power...) and thus deserving the 100% rating. Compared to the eponymous album, it might take a bit longer with this one to get into it, as the music is - let me put it that way: more relaxed than the old stuff.

However, things do start heavy, but not perfect with the opener 'Hurricane' - a rather common piece of music, steady but not extraordinary. Things get different with 'One Inch Man', the 'hit' of the album, which got some airplay on MTV. The unconventional riff, interrupted by shrieking sounds are literally creeping into ones head.
Another positive development on this album is the balance between the (semi)acoustic / calm parts and the heavy and driving ones. The best examples might be 'Phototropic' and 'El Rodeo', both starting quite gentle and developing towards thunderous climaxes. 'Catamaran' and 'Size Queen' mix smooth verses with powerful choruses.
Noteworthy as well the song titles, 'Thee of Boozeroony' and 'Jumbo Blimp Jumbo' being chosen for the instrumentals.

The very end, and what a worthy end it is, is represented by the epic 'Spaceship Landing', my most favourite track on my most favourite album, and yet so hard to describe. This piece is best enjoyed with eyes closed on endless repeat (unfortunately the song is 11 min long and followed by 20 min of hidden track...)

'...and the circus leaves town' was the most elegant, the heaviest but not loudest, the most fascinating piece of Rock'n'Roll ever made, and it's a pity that this unique band broke up at the zenith of their creativity - and maybe on the verge of stardom (And damn, I already had the ticket to a concert when they split 2 weeks before).

This was the bands final full length album, and it has to be said that with the loss of Drummer Brant Bjork, some of the flair and power to their music has also been lost. No discredit to Hermandez, but the same genius that was there on Sky Valley and Blues has just gone. This is still a fantastic heavy rock album, but by Kyuss standards it is a little weak.

The opening track kicks the album off promisingly, with Hurricane, despite having nothing new to offer from previous works, will still leave your neighbours wishing you were dead. One inch man calms things down a bit, with a catchy opening riff with signature thrumbing bass that put Kyuss on the map. But after this, the album slows down a little too much, with tracks like Gloria Lewis and Phototropic never really picking up.

But the album does redeem itself somewhat with the three closing tracks, Size Queen, Catamaran and Spaceship landing. Each progress the Kyuss sound further. Size Queen sees a fantastic vocal performance from Garcia, in fact his voice is one of the things that really came along on this album, boasting more melody before and being more varied than on previous works. Catamaran, again far more melodic vocals, and this time clean guitars to match, and the thrumbing bass, so prominent on the other tracks, only makes itself known in the chorus. It is like no other track they have done before. The final track, Spaceship Landing, is over ten minutes long, Kyuss are accustumed to writing tracks of epic size and proportions in the past, but this track, despite being long, has a more dark and sincister kind of theme. It does not put you in mind of vast sweeping desert scenery, it is more of a back to basics rock number, with a few breaks in it (10 minutes of thrumbing bass would numb even the most dedicated Kyuss fan).

This album, despite showing a new direction for Kyuss, lacks the shear size and uniqueness of Sky Valley or Blues for the red sun. It was to be the last they made to, and despite it's many flaws, it is still well worth a listen. Kyuss breaking up did however mean that bands like Queens of the Stone Age could come into being, boasting a more tight sound, they filled the hole that had been left in the wake of Kyuss.

...And the Circus Leaves town was Kyuss's farewell record... upset with label support (or lack thereof) and apparently frustrated with the feared "stoner rock" buzz, desert rock's finest mounted their chariots of fire and rode off into the sunset. The result is a spacey and decidely less go for the throat record. Hints of ideas that would later appear with Queens of the Stone Age are quite apparent. I believe the album cover says it all... moody, blue and less "warm" than Sky Valley or Blues for the Red Sun.

Songs like Hurricane and El Rodeo are straightforward, classic Kyuss. That means rumbling bass, fuzzed out riffs and John Garcia's primal screaming. Naturally, it rocks and rocks fucking hard. Ironically, 'Circus' is Kyuss's most "stoner" album.... listen to Gloria Lewis's intro on some bubonic chronic and you'll probably see Jesus or something. Bleeps and "farrrr out" special effects galore.

Size Queen and Catamaran are proto-QOTSA.... the nasal vocals, unconventional songwriting and interesting rhythms are all in place. The experimental tracks are definitely highlights.... a welcome diversion from the hard rock formula. Spaceship Landing, a 12 minute epic of sorts, rounds things out with a bang... or a thud

Perhaps the premature demise of Kyuss was a good thing... we got some damn good spinoffs out of it, and an incredible series of records. Kyuss was ahead of its time musically and inspired more bands than you can count on one hand. These guys are fucking legends and the gods of stoner rock eternally. RIP

While many of today's bands have at least 8 members with violins, fiddles, and at least two keyboards, Kyuss represented the basic approach : just pick up guitar, bass, get a drummer, add some sparse vocals and go. A music that you can actually play with your friends in a garage without enlarging it to accomodate all the band and equipment. While I don't say that this style is better than the complex one by definition, it is still good that there are bands like this. Or in case of Kyuss, sadly, were.

In my opinion, this album is their best if not by far, then by a considerable margin. I like the songs here more, as simple as that. The production is still
muddy, the sound is really basic, but that's what Kyuss were about. The vocals are somewhat less rare than on previous albums, but still there are a lot of instrumental parts, and I really respect that. Again, too many bands nowadayas afraid to add an instrumental to an album and that's a shame. Kyuss never get too technical, there are very few solos, but the rhythm is tight as a glove. Bass is audible, sometimes even more than the guitar, and the bass lines are always perfect.

And main point, some of the songs here are simply great and simple! It's not Dream Theater-like catchiness, but closer to 'Johnny B. Goode' catchiness. On some parts Kyuss sound closer to 50s spirit than Black Sabbath ever were, although it is only my opinion.

Now, to song by song breakdown :

1. Hurricane - I don't like this song so much, it doesn't stand out, and the
production here is too muddy. Although it is still kind of a good way to start an album - only the other songs are better.

2. One inch man - This is the more known song from this album, and I even saw its video on TV. That song is what Kyuss are about, really simple riff leads into the song and then the catchiness begins.

3. Thee Ol' Boozeroony - The first instrumental on the album. I really like the
riffage here and the bass is great! Again a very typical Kyuss song.

4. Gloria Lewis - A bit of a letdown. It is not much different in style from other
songs, but I just like it less. Usually I skip to the next one.

5. Phototropic - This is my favourite Kyuss song. A dreamy intro fills the first 2 minutes, with bass and guitar playing the perfect roles. Only at about 2:20 the singing begins shortly after guitar flipped on its distortion and the song is a real treat to play and to listen to. I could not say that Kyuss are heavy - I've heard too much Death Metal for that, but I can say that they are Metal. The spirit is there, and this song proves it.

6. El Rodeo - A lonely guitar begins the song with a blues lick and shortly another perfect bass line starts to accompany it. Again a great song, although here and on many other songs I have an issue with lyrics. It's stoner rock so it doesn't have to be Shakespeare, but still it should be better.

7. Jumbo Blimp Jumbo - The second instrumental, and again Kyuss don't miss the mark. Simple and good, doesn't differ much in style from the first instrumental.

8. Tangy Zizzle - I like this and the following song somewhat less - just my
personal taste.There is no change in style, I just think that the quality here
drops down somewhat.

9. Size Queen

10. Catamaran - This is another great example of a perfect bass line. Guitar begins with a clean sound strumming and bass again joins for one of the most perfect rhythms I've ever heard. I believe this songs is a cover of one of the members' previous bands. Well, it is good! Guitar gets dirty on chorus, but basically the same riffage and bass line carry this short song until the end.

11. Spaceship Landing - This is the long song of the album. I think it features the only 'proper' guitar solo, and it is a great way to finish things. It is not as
catchy as the previous songs, and Kyuss are definitely not the masters of the epic songwriting, but it is really good. They could not refrain themselves from messing a bit with a hidden track, but that can be forgiven.

In short, a stoner rock/Metall classic, and the best Kyuss album!

Highlights : One inch man, Thee Ol' Boozeroony, Phototropic, El Rodeo, Jumbo Blimp Jumbo, Catamaran