SOUNDTRACK: KING’S X-Tape Head (1998).
Tape Head follows the relatively gentle and harmonious Ear Candy with a serious blast of groov-y heavy metal. The album is solidly consistent and very smooth. Despite the heaviness of many of the tracks, it doesn’t have a lot of the angular/unusual chords of their earlier records. It also doesn’t juxtapose them with magnificent harmonies. Rather, we get a lot of group vocals making for a very full sound.
Again, there’s not really a bad song in the bunch, and after a couple listens, you’ll get the melodies stuck in your head. “Groove Machine” starts off the record with a heavy riff. It’s one of the darkest songs on the disc. “Over and Over” is one of the most bass heavy ballads that Kings X have done. It’s not a heavy song, per se, but typically, like “Goldilox” or “Mississippi Moon,” the ballad is mostly acoustic guitars. This one however uses the bass as the prime mover of the song. It’s still a ballad though, and quite a pretty one.
“Ono” is probably the quintessential song to describe Tape Head, though. Not that it’s the best song, but it’s like the album in a nutshell: Riff heavy verses, beautiful choruses (heavy but smooth, not aggressive sounding) and then a wild guitar solo. “Ocean” is a great addition to the Ty-sung canon that has been building since Faith Hope Love. “Little Bit of Soul” is one of their catchiest, smoothest numbers of this period; it’s followed by “Hate You” which is not as heavy as you might expect. “Mr Evil” is the most early- King’s X-sounding of the bunch, where the guitar lines take precedence and the harmonies all come back.
It’s a great, solid disc and a nice companion to Ear Candy.
[READ: September 25, 2008]: The Sirens of Titan
Continuing my series of Kurt Vonnegut books, I progress to The Sirens of Titan. And, while I applaud Vantage Books for the line of all of the Vonnegut titles having that big V on the cover, check out those early releases! So cool.
Anyhow, I had never even heard of this book, so I held very low expectations for it. I was astonished at not only how funny it was but just how much I enjoyed it.
Much of this book seems to be, if not a launching point, at least a basis for many of Vonnegut’s most famous pieces. Tralfamadore, made famous in Slaughterhouse Five, is introduced here. As is Vonnegut’s love of time travel and even space travel. (more…)