Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Metamorphisis is Complete, May 20, 2008
At this point in the career of King'X, one can't help but be reminded of Rush. Fans tend to divide both bands history into several 'eras'. King's X found a strong fan base during their 'Sam Taylor' era, which arguably lasted through Dogman (though Taylor didn't produce that album). Ear Candy, Tapehead, & Mr. Bulbous found the band searching for a new direction, surviving divorce, loss of faith, and surviving the challenges of promoting themselves through a smaller label. Most fans consider Manic Moonlight a low point for the band, so scattered and directionless that some of us feared for their future. The retro 'Black Like Sunday' didn't lend much hope, as the band reached back to pre-Taylor songs instead of looking forward. It seemed the train had run out of steam and the well of ideas had run dry.
Enter Tom Wagner who produced Ogre Tones, an album filled with fresh sounds that also hearkened back to the bands earlier prog days with Sam Taylor. I believe that King's X has been on a journey to find their place in the world musically and spiritually, and XV just may be the culmination of that trip. Like Rush, they have changed, confused fans, and all but disappeared from the public eye, but they have stubbornly refused to keep churning out the same old album year after year.
XV picks up where Orge Tones left off, but builds on it's strengths. Lush three part harmonies have been largely scaled back in favor of shouted gang vocals, and small touches of the Beatlesque vocals that marked their earlier works. The spacey, proggy sound of Grethen and FHL are gone, never to return it seems, but in it's place we have a lean, tight, solid wall of sound that focuses on melody, with memorable song structure, and only hints of the complexities the band is capable of.
Hey, it's King's X. They don't have to prove themselves to ANYONE.
The new listener gets a clean, accessible version of the legendary band, while long-time fans get a mature, focused effort that's probably their strongest since Dogman. The trio is obviously revitalized and have moved beyond their roots, their tragedies, and their musical meandering. It's as if they're unapologetically saying, "This is the new King's X. Love it or leave it." Oh yeah - and it's happy (for the most part). Remember when King's X was happy? The fun is back.
I give it four stars because Ty's guitar solos are few, and many fans listen to the band precisely because the man is a god on the guitar - we need more!
Otherwise, the next logical chapter in the King's X story. It's great to watch a band grow up and figure out who they are. I'm gonna Go Tell Somebody.
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Infectious!, August 19, 2008
pushing 4.5 stars...
I cannot stop listening to this album - and it's been awhile since I've said that about ANY album. XV, for all of its simplicities, is still hard to categorize; and that's what makes it great. It's the type of album that, while packing a legitimate punch upon first listen, doesn't necessarily blow you away upon first listen; and again, that's what makes it great! Your brain goes through the mechanical intellectualizations the first time around, taking inventory...no real soloing, no epics, nothing incredibly new sounding or adventurous... all tunes are short and "sweet." And frequently, the danger with such a recipe lies in the fact that this sort of thing may trigger you to permanently retire the album to your shelf (or out of your ipod) after just one shot - forever forgotten.
But not this album! This is King's X we're talking about!!! What other group can write an entire song around "One day it's gonna be alright alright yeah alright alright yeah," with all the background vocals and trimmings of anthemic sing-along, AND have it come out sounding so damn... ARTISTIC!!! And so it is for reasons like this, that King's X proves to have [once again] escaped the chasm of a one-listen-toss-away, because there's something subconscious in you that wants you to return to track one and blast through it again.
And again and again. Until finally you give yourself permission to sing along with the "na na na na" syllable chorus of "BROKE" with all the serious, soulful, heartfelt fist-pumping urgency that is deserved. While I'd still file this as a "grows on you" album, if only because you will (I PROMISE) become more obsessed with it with each new listen, I do confess it grows on you very quickly - so watch out! The only heartbreak for me is the "straight-A-kid-has-expectations-set-even-higher" syndrome. We all know the band's potential...and given the electric energy in the air here, it pains me when I think perhaps this coulda-woulda-shoulda been a...dare I say...masterpiece, had they taken their newfound energy and pushed the envelope of adventurousness a little more - but while still leaving all the "whoa yeah's" firmly intact!
Alas, I'm sure a lot of fans will disagree with me, triumphantly applauding this release as a sigh-of relief "return to form" in a way, that still feels fresh and in a phase all of its own. But don't get me wrong, who am I to disgree? Right now, I'm addicted.
Ok fine, 5 stars - the Brian May guitar harmonies at the very end are a knockout punch
|
|
|
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
2008 is a better year for music! Thank you King's X!, May 23, 2008
King's X fans rejoice...another gem here with XV. This is an album you can sink your teeth into. 14 tracks of the music that only King's X can create! They have their own style and a large fan base that supports them because they are damn good at what they do...ROCK! I am loving this album, and here is my take on it track by track. I put a star by the songs I think are the best.
*1. Pray For Me - growling bass line that opens up to a rocking tune that challenges the faithfully religious to pray for the writer of the song (dUg). dUg sings the main verses and chorus with Jerry and Ty filling the background vocals. In this day and age...sometimes I agree with the sentiment of this song. Some people are so eager to say they have all of the answers when it comes to religion, but I always question things and feel like I don't have the answers. You can pray for me too!
2. Blue - a slower melodic tune that has a great chorus sung by dUg. The message equates being stagnant to being crazy. Things in change makes you crazy but it's just normal. The lyrics on this album are really challenging to me, and I love that.
3. Repeating Myself - nice intro by Ty on a cascading guitar riff and then main vocals throughout the song. This song is a melodic slow tempo song that talks about the monotonous things that happen each day. Ty has some really nice guitar fills and textures throughout the song.
*4. Rocket Ship - this is a fun rocking tune that dUg sings for the sheer joy of things and he asks you to join him on his new found sense of imagination to deal with today's tough world. This is a great song to have on in the car.
*5. Julie - song sung by Jerry about the love of his life. Acoustic guitar throughout and nice melodic electric guitar and bass compliment Jerry's very Beatlesque voice. Not many drummers out there can fill his musical shoes of drumming, singing, guitar playing abilities and songwriting.
6. Alright - straight ahead rocker with fast tempo. dUg sings this song talking about the worries and joys of growing older with those you love.
7. Free - dUg sings this song criticizing most people for foolishly dealing with money, credit cards, etc. Not a bad song musically, but the lyrics are not my favorite. The song has a great bass line.
8. I Just Want to Live - another song in Ty's repertoire with a slow tempo rock song with a clean vocal in that stereotypical Beatlesque style King's X is known for having. This is very enjoyable melodic song with a simple strumming guitar part. Ty sings about getting in touch with his feelings.
*9. Move - rhythmic and driving bass and drum intro. Ty swells in some guitar, and then dUg comes in with his soulful voice and Ty ups the guitar part and slams you into a great chorus of grinding guitar riff, dUg's voice in echoing effects, thumping bass and solid drumming.
10. I Don't Know - another melodic song from Ty apologizing for his indecision. Similar melodic style from Ty we have heard before. Good song...Ty is a very good song writer and often overlooked for his abilities in this area.
*11. Stuck - one of the more heavy tunes on the record. dUg delivers the vocals during a slower verse, but then build to a harmonic chorus discussing how love can get you stuck in strange places.
*12. Go Tell Somebody - the crown jewel of the album...nearly the title of the album. A different sound for King's X, but a great tune. The guitar part is fast and driving flurry of fretwork, and the vocals are simple but suit the song very well...harmony throughout the chorus. If you like it, then you know what to do.
*13. Love and Rockets (Hell's screaming) - the first of two bonus tracks on the album. This one dark and grinding is a fun song to listen to as it is one more heavy than the album has to offer. I like King's X metal side and it shines brightly here in a song talking about hating people because they are different.
*14. No Lie - almost a jam on a blues riff that turns into a fun romp through the blend of music style that only King's X can deliver...growling bass, melodic and harmonic vocal parts, gritty guitar parts that mix blues, rock and metal...all over a strong and solid rhythm of drums. Guitar solos will make Ty's fans happy and some parts sound a little like Brian May.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by King's X 
