When I reviewed Out Of The Silent Planet, I mentioned that the first 5 albums are all bonafide classics, well this is the 5th album. It was also the first without long time manager/svengali type figure – Sam Taylor. The sound is a lot heavier and the vibe is a lot darker. The album was also produced by hot producer of the time, Brendan O’Brien, and he worked his magic well as everything is louder, clearer, and fuller in the mix.
I will not ever hide my love for this band as there was a time when they were everything musically to me, and as I have already mentioned – the first 5 still do it for me. The opening track and title track is a statement of intent of the album as a whole – the huge sound just engulfs you. The trademark melodies and harmonies are still present – just surrounded by a new found heaviness. I think by this point they were also getting huge pressure from the record company to give them a hit single, and Let’s Pretend is this album’s attempt. It’s a great song, but by now I think everyone knew they were not a singles band. The melodies, vocal harmonies and the dirty groove of Shoes is just beautiful. The slow soulful blues of Flies And Blue Skies is just incredible. The vocals alone send shivers down your spine. It’s just a really moving song. The dirty drop D funk of Black The Sky follows, and jeez what a heavy sounding track. The guitar tone is off the charts. The laid back tones of Fool You are next, and shows just how versatile the band are. Fat, dirty, and heavy grooves return with Don’t Care – another epic tune. Harmonies, melody and big fat tone. This is what they want!
O’Brien’s production shines through on Sunshine Rain, everything is crisp and crystal clear. The short sharp blast of Complain is next, and if I were an A&R guy at the time – this would have been my choice of a single, simple and to the point. The supremely heavy, Human Behaviour, is next up. Nobody else do tunes like this…and I mean nobody. This is heavy in sound, not in speed or thrash. The tones and the groove are just huge…and the ever present harmonies. Jeez this is good!! Then with a flick of the switch the mood calms down with the beautiful Cigarettes. The 51 second short sharp punk rock blast of Go To Hell comes and goes, before penultimate track Pillow arrives with that deep bass rumble. The final track is a great cover of Hendrix’s Manic Depression – and we’re done.
Things were never the same after this album. Sure, they still made good records, and in places they were freaking awesome, but to me, this is the last great Kings X record.
10/10 from The Grooveman.
