Customer Reviews

King Me

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

So, I went to Croc in Seattle a few weeks expecting to see a "secret" REM show. So did 1000 other people. Although all of the members of REM were wandering around the club, they never actually played a set. Peter Buck got on stage and played a few songs with the opening band, but that was it. A lot of people who came just for REM were bummed. What a waste of the cover charge right?

Ordinarily, this would be the case, and I would be one of those people....but one of the opening bands made it all worthwhile.

Visqueen came out on stage with a fresh sound you don't hear much these days. They sound a lot like a punkier version of Letters to Cleo, their songs are really lighthearted and upbeat.

I was instantly interested, and got up from my table to go into the club and see who was making the interesting music. I was surprised to see only a three piece band on stage.

Within 3 songs, I knew I had to buy the CD...and I listened to it the next day at work. Then I listened to it again. And again.

Get it, folks. It rocks. If you like Letters to Cleo or the Donnas, you're going to love these guys. It's something a little different than all the rest of the stuff the radio is pushing down your throats right now.

That night was the first time I heard them, and it was kind of by accident. I've been enjoying their music ever since.

Next time I see them, it will be on purpose. Hopefully it's soon.

At my age(44) I don't often hit block parties and clubs playing indie music, but these guys totally made me glad I did. Absolute power pop with slashing guitar, husky sexy vocals and sunny lyrics. One of those CDs that you never get tired of listening to...The oft-cited Ramones analogy doesn't do them justice, since the songs aren't all about drugs and death; both their lyrics and song structures are more diverse and less predictable. Visqueen ain't complex or highly produced; I'd call 'em punk with a human face.

Ingredients:
-1 ex-Fastback (the veteran)
-1 ...-kicking drummer (the ... kicker)
-1 vampish, yet funny, lead singer who plays blistering guitar and has a voice that can melt Smirnoff Ice (The Queen)
Directions:
-Add a pinch of The Runaways, Cheap Trick, Veruca Salt, Foo Fighters and The Ramones
-Stir in popsmart songcraft and generous helpings of brilliant wordplay and a little tongue-in-cheek fun
-Mix with Barrett Jones' (Foo Fighters) energetic production
-Cook at 500 degrees for no longer than 3:20 per song
-Serve with earplugs, generic beer, bubblegum and a supped-up Camaro with flames on the hood
Serves: good pop music for good pop people!

All Hail The 'Queen! Easily one of the best rock albums you can spend your $ on this year.

There's truly something to be said for an album that simply rocks out.

My first exposure to Visqueen was actually not listening to them, it was reading about them. Something intrigued me, and I later found their website, and listened to the sample tracks there. I was hooked instantly.

Visqueen's debut album "King Me" is filled with track after track of infectious power pop songs. They make no pretensions otherwise. They are simply fun to listen to. And why not?

From the simple (if slightly repetitive) refrain of "My House" to the anthem-like quality of "Sailor" to the rich, almost nostalgic sound of "Mrs. Elder," there isn't a song on this album that I don't enjoy for its strong guitar riffs, its strident vocals, and its rock-your-socks-off nature.

Though the vocals are perfect and crystal-clear, the lyrics themselves can get repetitive and are a bit silly at times ("We're mutual like Omaha" comes flashing to mind). However, to be perfectly honest, this isn't music one listens to for clever, meaningful lyrics. This is head-bopping rock music, meant to be enjoyed for what it is.

And any time I want to rock out for a little while, enjoy it I do!

I bought "King Me" a few weeks ago and the only time I've taken it out of my CD player in my vehicle was to move it to my CD player at work, and vice versa. I may have listened to this 50 or 60 times, back to back to back. Just a marvelous rock-and-roll album.

Each song is a polished little jewel: loud, grinding guitars and pounding bass and percussion, with intricate melodies and vocal harmonies weaving through the noise. This is punk pop at its best. The whole album is maybe 28 minutes long, which sounds short, but it's the perfect length to re-queue at the end. And each song is therefore short enough to make its point without wearing out its welcome: It never stops sounding fresh. Plus there ain't no repeat-and-fade here; every track ENDS the way every sensible rock song ought to.

The lyrics are refreshingly free of cliche, amazingly so given the genre. Think of The Donnas, for example, who sing basically three songs over and over. They're three pretty good songs, but they get old quickly. Visqueen, on the other hand, treats many of the classic subjects (love, loss, yearning), but from oblique angles you haven't heard before. Even when the lyrics resort to stock phrases, they're tweaked a bit to give them a new spin. The expression "thick as thieves," for example, turns up in the song "Omaha," but the chorus goes like this: "You and me, we're mutual like Omaha / Fingerprinted, dusted the same / You and me, we're mutual like Omaha / Thick as thieves, bound by one chain." The soaring arrangement of the guitars totally puts it over.

Every song is like that: superficially, it sounds like basic power-chord grunge pop, but the more you listen, the more you realize how carefully crafted and polished the material is. The bass lines throb in counterpoint, the guitars crunch, the drums drive everything forward, and on top are these marvelously witty lyrics. From "Zirconium Gun," a nearly perfect pop song about the silly materialism of jewelry from the sad point of view of the gemstone: "Trapped into beautifying every hand / As glamorous as any prisoner can."

This group deserves to break out in a big way. Get "King Me" now so you can say you were there from the beginning.

My cousin from Seattle visits me this summer and brings King Me as a gift. Now, I'm thoroughly convinced I'll never stop listening to this CD. I can't make myself sick of listening to Zirconium gun. I'll check them out live in Chicago Oct. 24. Finally, a female guitar player with some real balls, if you know what I mean. Great vocals make this band. Rachel Flotard's voice dances and sails through the swirling subatomic particles of sound, creating an indescribable sensation. The best part is knowing the band has only scratched the surface of their potential. I can't wait for more.

Jim M.

pardon me for retreating to an overused phrase, but:

This CD ROCKS!

Short Review - Great stuff, buy it now!

If you're not sure, check out the free downloads - they are very representative of the sound of this group.

Longer review:

If you like up-tempo get off your ass and rock music with fun lyrics, great hooks, great harmonies, jump out on the dance floor, flail-your-arm air guitar (or in my case, air bass), rock-out music, this is a CD for you.

buy this CD now, hopefully you'll encourgage the band to get back in the studio to record their 2nd cd - it'll make ME happy anyway!

The only thing I don't understand is why pop radio isn't all over this stuff, but hey, I grew up in the 60s when all the songs on the radio were 2:38, didn't cuss, didn't degrade anybody, talked about havin' fun and didn't require a phalanx of scantily clad dancers and microphones that sang the songs on their own :).

One thing I do think is Joey Ramone is smiling down on these guys from Rock'n'Roll heaven, knowing the music lives on...

This album makes me happy. No matter what your mood might be, put this record on and prepare to get picked up by the back of your pants and whacked against the ceiling. And I bet you'll find that you keep coming back for more. The songs are bright, tight, loud and smart; and the band members wield their instruments and vocal harmonies like billie jean king wielded her racket. Buy it. You'll like it.

This album totally rocks. Catchy, driving tunes which will get stuck in your head. Rachel Flotard's voice is bliss and the rhythm section is totally tight. See this band live if you have the chance!! You won't be disappointed. Definitely the most exciting sound to come out of Seattle in years. Buy this album!!

I would recommend picking a couple of your favorite songs and skipping the rest. If you have a song or two off King Me as part of a random compilation or the whole CD as part of a shuffle then the songs aren't bad but when you listen to the whole CD at one time it can get a little repetitive and the songs don't sound as good. I actually enjoy King Me when mixed with other stuff.