Customer Reviews

Crash Kings

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What is wrong with a little piano pacing the mix?

The Crash Kings - Antonio Beliveau (vocals, piano, keyboards), Michael Beliveau (bass), Jason Morris (drums) - ditch the lead guitar for a unique sound on the 10 tracks. And though "Mountain Man" - which packs a punch of the best arena rock from Billy Squier - may lure in the curious, it is where things are kept simple that's most successful.

The top cut is "Come Away," which has a wonderful strings arrangement from David Campbell. "It's Only Wednesday" has the pop sensibilities of the Small Faces, with elements of the Climax Blues Band sprinkled into the mid-tempo "My Love." Morris drives the beat on "Raincoat," while Michael Beliveau provides a harder edge on "You Got Me."

The only stumble is on "Non-Believer," where the gimmicky layered-vocals sounds like something arranged by a clone of Sir George Martin who is on anabolic steroids. But the next cut - "14 Arms" - has a frantic pace that works very well.

The road may be winding, but the twists and turns find this "power trio" commandeering the tangents without the use of the guardrails.

Let's face it, since the demise of Ben Folds, piano rock has been lacking of late. So, if you're tired of the pop stylings of The Fray, prepare for the real thing with Crash Kings. Crash Kings knows what they're good at, and they do it pretty well. Most of the songs are primarily piano-driven and guitar-free, but when the guitar does make an appearance, the band juggles the two instruments well.

Highlights Include:
Mountain Man
1985
14 Arms
Raincoat

Vocally, the band sounds like a more southern-rock version of The White Stripes. And it not only works on the rock songs, but they also do a pretty decent ballad. Add to that some good lyrical work, and some memorable songs, and you got yourself the full Crash Kings package, and a pretty good debut from the band. It may not be that expansive sound-wise, but if there's one thing you can't say about the band, it's that they never crash and burn. No crashing here. Just cruising along the little-tread highway of true piano rock.

Linda Perry is a pretty smart lady. Say what you will, the woman has an eye for talent. This is proved by this cd and many others. Sure we have all heard the #1 single Mountain Man, but how is the rest of the album?

Pretty darn good actually. The cd keeps the music upbeat and lively. Each song flows nicly into the next and keeps your foot tapping. It is piano driven and a little like The Fray, but has more rock injection in my opinion. How do the songs break down? Let's do the 1 to 5 scale (5 is the best).

Mountain Man - 4.8
Song speaks for itself. It's upbeat and will get you up and moving every time.

1985 - 4.2
Another upbeat song. This one could be a single as well.

It's only Wednesday - 4.4
This song is pretty cool for 2 reasons. One it shows off Tony Beliveau's vocal range nicely. And second, Ben Folds Five are back together! That's who they remind me of on this track.

Come Away - 4.0
You know, I am not a Crash Kings fanboy or anything. This album is just solid. Songs like this one are in the upper range because they are just that darn good!

Non Believer - 3.2
The third single from the cd. Good but nothing special in my opinion.

14 Arms - 4.8
Possibly the most rocking song on the whole cd. Listen to this and try not start bobbing to this one! I found this one of the most exciting songs on the whole cd.

Raincoat - 3.4
Another song that could have easily been a single.

You Got Me - 4.3
The second single. By this point in the record I decided I wanted to see them live. The energy is amazing.

Saving Grace - 3.6
It strikes me on this song how they are not just good songwriters, but also good musicians as well. Kudos!

My Love - 4.8
You might think the last song on the album would be filler, but it's honestly one of the best songs on the whole cd.

Total 41.5 / 50.0. Not too shabby! This cd is completely worth your hard earned money. No need to just buy single songs off amazon.com. Just fork the cash over for this great record.

Crash Kings is the first new band I have gotten into in a long time, all the songs are really sweet on the album, not a stinker in there as far as I'm concerned.

Track 8 You Got Me is frigging awesome! Mountain Man on track 1 is a close second in awesomeness to You Got Me.

Word!

"Only Wednesday" and "Raincoat" are pop-rock at its finest, combining catchy melodies with booming piano and keyboards. "14 Arms," like many songs on this album, starts off sounding like a potentially good rock song that's sadly going to do a 180 into cheesy, bland pop oblivion... but it doesn't. Right when I had my doubts, the vocals and thundering piano came back at me with energy full-force.

The best track on the album hands down is "You Got Me," and the vocals in this song will surely remind you of Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale and Jet's Nic Cester.

However despite all comparisons, I thoroughly enjoyed this album as a separate entity and believe Crash Kings have a distinct sound that they can truly go far with. Props to vocalist Antonio Beliveau, who even in slower tracks like "Come Away" and "Non Believer," manages to sing in a voice consistently strong, clear an infectious.

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[...]

Brothers Tony (lead vocalist and keyboardist) and Mike Beliveau (bass) are the driving force behind the rising rock band called Crash Kings. The Crash Kings burst into your ears with a hard-hitting sound that is both modern and retro, with guitar tones that will shake you...wait, what's this? There is no guitar? No way! How can they get this sound without guitar?

Remarkably, this trio (the brothers are joined by drummer Jason Morris) can pull off a big rock record with only keys, bass, and drums. How do they do this? "With tube overdrive and multiple amps Mike's bass brings heaviness to the band's sound. On top of that Tony plays a clavinet (a keyboard with guitar strings), which has been customized with a large whammy bar allowing him to bend notes like a guitar producing an entirely new sound". I understand your skepticism - but just listen to Tony Beliveau's soaring vocals and the powerful, driving rhythm section and you won't even realize you are rocking out to a band that doesn't use guitar!

The Crash Kings previously opened for Chris Cornell, Stone Temple Pilots, The Bravery, and Rooney. They are currently on tour with Jet, which is a logical match-up as many of their tunes have a retro feel like Jet. But the Crash Kings have a diverse sound, coming close to O.A.R. or Safetysuit at times, or approaching the piano rock of Ben Folds or Josh Fix with a smattering of Queen now and then. If you like any of the aforementioned artists, there is a treasure for you to uncover in the self-titled debut by Crash Kings.

What makes this record so enjoyable does not really relate to the band's unique attributes such as the fact that the founders are brothers who have boldly omitted guitar from their sound spectrum. Nope, what makes this record special are the memorable melodies. These guys know how to write a hook in the chorus and flank it with compelling verses - and their harmonies aren't too shabby either. The key standouts include the hip opener, "Mountain Man", the infectious "1985" (not a Bowling For Soup cover), the gorgeous "Raincoat", and hugely catchy "My Love". Crash Kings are ready to rule your musical world and, despite being a trio, they sound like a full house.

Key tracks: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10
Bill's Music Forum review

Crash Kings are my new favorite band!! Seen them a half dozen times now, each time they've appeared in Seattle within the past year. Hooked from the moment I first saw them. They say they call Seattle their second hometown, and that's very cool.

The CD is amazing but their live show is even more so. Tony's soaring vocals and craftsmanship on the keys, plus Mike's thumping bass, and Jason's barefoot power drumming .. it all works beautifully.

And you know what? These guys are genuinely nice guys! They all still help offload their own crappy van and trailer on load in. Sat in the bar with Jason joining our group before a recent show, just yakking about everything and nothing in particular.

Rising with a star for each and feet firmly grounded.

Only good Rock song is "Mountain Man" the rest of the album is fairly generic. The first song is good then the rest of the songs fall into the background. Boring and dull and sounds like other crap on the radio. I wish I didn't buy it at best buy for 9.99 could have saved $9 buy just downloading the one song.

Alternative rock bands are really a dime a dozen these days. However, how many do you know that do not feature a guitar? Probably not many, and Crash Kings are one of them. I want to say they sound a lot like some band I've heard before, but I can't place a finger on it. That might be because they sound like a lot of bands, but at least they generate their own flavor with piano, bass, and drums. Also in the mix are Antonio Beliveau's spirited, go-lucky vocals that are at times reminiscent of Mika. In fact, "It's Only Wednesday" sounds like it came straight off Mika's Life In Cartoon Motion. This kind of music is great for your esteem and I welcome more of it. You can't help but feel good.

What I like most about Crash Kings' style is that the bass is so prominent. This isn't to say it's the focal point, but it's the sole string instrument (other than violins and cello in "Come Away," a ballad that feels out of place with the pace of the album; the end would have been a better fit). The bass is not just a foundation here. It's tasty and meaty in numbers like "1985," "Raincoat," and "You Got Me." I like to think Michael Beliveau plays his bass a bit like Death From Above 1979 bass player Jesse Keeler. I also like that the piano isn't overdone in twinkly, headache-ish fashion (sort of related, some metal bands overdo keyboards and it's annoying). The amount of piano is just right and complements the other instruments well.

Crash Kings are very upbeat, sometimes even magical, and I'm sold. Hopefully there is more to come.

This product was exactly as advertised. i recommend wholly. A++++. It is all good for me. (more words to appease Amazon.com, though nothing more to say).