William Elvin And The Circus Tour – “10/23”

William Elvin And The Circus Tour – “10/23” – Single Review

Come one, come all!  The circus tent is up…the elephants & trapeze are to your left…right this way ladies & gentlemen, please keep it moving…that’s right, plenty of room for all…strongman to your right sirs and madams, please watch your step…all-new performance from the bearded-lady straight-ahead, right this way, right this way people…

Alright…so…maybe I’ve opened this review in a bit of a grandiose-style in comparison to the intimate & isolated sounds of William Elvin’s music…but c’mon now, it does say AND the circus tour doesn’t it?

So maybe he rocks a single-tent in the fairgrounds…I suppose the main point is he’s still out there doing what he does best…making music.  A sincere songwriter that isn’t afraid to communicate his innermost feelings and emotions through his words – something we can vouch for personally from having reviewed his music in the past.  We also interviewed William once back in 2015…seems about time we checked in on him again soon to see what’s been happening & we’ll be catching up with him on all the details in a new interview coming this March – but first, the music!

“10/23” provides insight into the personal content that lines the walls of his album, The Musicalienation Of William Elvin.  Starting with backwards sounds creatively before “10/23” drops into its gentle acoustic melody and lyrical-thoughts on the potential for love in the modern-day world; William’s written a song here that certainly takes on a melancholy, observational-attitude but one that never gives up hope through its words and its tone.  Lyrically, I think he’s done a beautiful job here…I think the contrast of the emotions and insights involved in the writing of “10/23” sounds honest & real…words that sound born of personal-experience and perhaps his own heartbreak along the way.  Much like the movie Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind – you get the sense that no matter how much hurt may have been involved that there would be nothing stopping William from pursuing every moment all over again to experience the beauty and extremes in both the good-times & bad.

And I think that in “10/23,” the sincerity of his sentiment comes across sweetly…the idea of facing adversity, rumors, lies or opinions of others opposing love and coming out victorious through the realization that all of this would exist outside of the world that really only needs to be shared by two.  As intimate in the music as it is through the lyrics…it’s a song for the dreamers out there…a song for people that understand the pursuit of love itself is always worth the effort and always rewarding in some way, shape or form.  Be it love itself or the experience & wisdom that comes along with post-relationship examination and observations – “10/23” is a reflective tune that looks inward to the special-bond between two people in love for its ultimate solutions.  A song that echoes that feeling of ‘us vs. them’ – but a song that’s offering an even better resolution that’s more akin to a ‘you do you and we’ll do us’ kind of attitude…musings on what love could be like if left untainted by the outside world around them.

I also think that on a technical-front, having such sincerely-written words also leads to us as listeners to a more accepting place.  William manages to reach the tones he’s looking for each time – but there are occasions where you can hear that effort to hit the high-notes, which admittedly, are pretty high-up there.  The opening takes a bit for him to settle into as well…not long…about halfway through that first verse you can hear him find the gear he’s looking for and lock into it.  The latter-half of many of the verse/chorus combinations can tend to sound more confident as he lowers into more mid-range tones where he excels…but again, bottom line is that the sincerity in the performance comes through strongly enough to accept all of what we hear as one heartfelt experience altogether.  To his credit – some of the technique he’s applied to the way he sings “10/23” showcases some of the best control and instincts I’ve personally heard from him so far.  The way he sings this one accompanied by the strings and guitar brings “10/23” together sweetly…and I think that sense of the dreamer searching relentlessly for love against all the odds never fades from this track for a second.  There are a great many people out there in the world that will certainly relate to what William Elvin And The Circus Tour has created with “10/23” – and that’s largely because our planet is FILLED with lovers and dreamers of all kinds out there.

I consider that to be a great thing…because we’ve all been through a lot, no matter what walk of life you’re coming from or background…we all experience hardship & heartbreak of some kind along the way.  The most important thing is that we hold onto the beautiful, protect the good and never give up on the potential for love to make our lives extraordinary – William Elvin hasn’t given up, neither should you…ever.

Find out more about William Elvin And The Circus Tour at the official homepage:  https://williamelvinmusic.com/

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