CYCLORAMA

Do you wonder what the cover is all about on this Styx CD? I do. It may refer to the proverbial dangling carrot, who knows. In the booklet with the CD, there are references to carrots throughout; it is a mystery to me. There is one thing I am certain of though, this band still kicks ass going into their fourth decade of recording. Those of you still whining about Dennis De Young not being with the band, get over it, he is gone. They are unaffected by his absence, and seem to be doing just fine. They have a new fresh lineup that sounds fantastic; in fact, if they did not have that shakeup they probably would not have survived as a band and you would be reading solo album reviews of JY and Tommy Shaw material on a more regular basis than a Styx review.

Everyone gets equal time in this band with each member contributing songs and vocals. A real nice mix gives them a range that they did not have in the classic rock '70s lineup. Those were great times with many memorable albums recorded. In 2003, you can chalk up another one for them in the classic albums category. At one time, they were a leading progressive rock band; now they are a great rock 'n' roll band, plain and simple. That works just fine and dandy for me thank you very much.

There are so many great tunes on this album. The lead off track "Do Things My Way" has hit single written all over it. Loaded with smart hooks while rocking along hard to maintain their familiar sound, this song will not get out of your head any time soon. The thing I really appreciate about these guys is that you can always understand what they are singing. A lot of the time, I base my reviews on music alone because I cannot understand a blasted word. I guarantee by the time you listen to this album the second time you will be singing right along. They have a good sense of humor and use their lyrics to point at the truths of the heart and the irony that life can bring. "Bourgeois Pig" and "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" are prime examples of that attitude and approach to their presentation. I thought the time machine effect of using a song from Grand Illusion was cool in "Fooling Yourself (Palm Of Your Hands)," which runs only 39 seconds, then launches into a rockin' track called "Captain America." "Waiting For Our Time" is another killer track and one that will become a favorite at concerts I am sure. All of their music comes complete with soaring vocals and harmonies bolstered by lively guitars, the trademark of this band. JY and Tommy play and sing as if their lives depended on it. I think that it keeps them young and hungry. They are more than the core element of this band, they push the other group members to levels that they have never been before. There is some electric chemistry going on here, which is a rare thing in any group that has been around as long as they have.

Okay youngsters, you think this is an old group that Mom and Dad used to listen to, well, that may be true but they still can rock your soul today just as they did when they started back in the day. Very few bands can do that in this day age and you can read me my last rights if it is not true.

Kiss your originality goodbye

Released in 2003, "Cyclorama" was Styx first release without key founding member Dennis DeYoung. The album however finds Styx treading the water of unchallenging melodic pop rock. It consists entirely of the band's well worn diet of upbeat anthems designed to please the crowds at live gigs, plus "Babe" clone ballads.

"Do things my way" opens the album in Bon Jovi like fashion, with some designer guitar fuelled stadium rock. "Kiss your ass goodbye" has almost rap like verses and a light punk pop feel to the choruses. The melody of the choruses is very similar to "Where you going now" by Damn Yankees but played a little faster. "Fooling yourself" has rougher vocals, giving a Grand Funk Railroad flavour.

Of the softer tracks, "Yes I can" is for me the best track on the album, being a harmonic acoustic number, along the lines of Extreme's surprise hit single "More than words". "These are the times" is slightly more structured, but still ventures little from being pop rock.

The closing track "Genki Desu Ka" has a chanted repeating theme, a bit like a cross between the Doobie Brothers and some of King Crimson's 80's work. Although shown as being a 6 minute piece, the track includes a hidden element which contains a phased reprise of "Kiss your ass goodbye" and a harmonised message to close.

Styx have never been truly progressive band, and have always sat on the edge of this site in terms of their musical style. With "Cyclorama", they played it disappointingly safe by churning out a collection of songs which could have been recorded at pretty much any time in their career. Tracks such as "More love for the money" and "Killing the thing that you love" start out deceptively by hinting that they may be in some way different but all to soon the standard Styx chorus comes in, and reminds us that this is a band who appear to have foregone all ambition and adopted the sole objective of resting on their laurels.

Giant hovering carrot ahead! 'Cyclorama', a really good album, is legendary rockers Styx's fourteenth studio release, coming to life in early 2003, after being recorded the previous year. This is the band's first 21st century album, their first without founding member Dennis DeYoung, and their first pretty solid release for a long time. This album is essentially a collection of songs, band efforts, that take on different moods, various topics, and great techniques to make up for a pretty good studio album. This one could generally be classified as hard rock, although it goes to so many different directions (given the presence of 14 tracks!), that I would prefer to safely term it Styx-rock.

The line-up is fantastic - Tommy Shaw on vocals and guitars, James "JY" Young on vocals and guitars, Lawrence Gowan on keys and vocals, Todd Sucherman behind the drums, and Glenn Burtnik on vocals and bass; Chuck Panozzo makes a brief 'cameo' on two of the songs on here. Being a band effort, one can imagine that 'Cyclorama' is a very rich album in terms of sounds, every song is an entity of its own, but albums with more than ten tracks can sometimes make the listener anxious. Not this time. The giant carrot album seems to flow effortlessly between the different moods and styles, making up for an enjoyable rock album by a now-mature band. The songs on 'Cyclorama' are generally very accessible, as one would expect with a band like Styx, but there are also some heavier numbers and a couple of proggy moments here and there, and this quasi-eclecticism is an aspect to be applauded.

Among the highlights of the record are the opener 'Do Things My Way', the cool and punchy 'Bourgeois Pig' (why isn't this song longer is beyond me), the sing-along track 'Kiss Your Ass Goodbye' and the powerful 'These Are the Times', a song that could easily be applied to any age. The Beatles-esque 'More Love for the Money' is another fun track, 'Captain America' is a great hard-rocker, 'One with Everything' is the grandiose prog episode on the album, and 'Genki Desu Ka' is a soothing and interesting album closer.

The unfavorable initial reviews of this 2003 release are a bit of a mystery to me; Certainly, 'Cyclorama' is not a ground-breaking album at all, but it is a severely solid release by a seasoned group of rockers who know what they are doing. So, beware that giant hovering carrot!