I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: KISS-Monster (2012).

This is Kiss’ second album with their new line up–guitarist Tommy Thayer (dressed as Ace) and drummer Eric Singer (dressed as Peter).  I saw them recently and they (well,Paul and Gene) seemed…old.  Which they are, but you don’t always notice that under the makeup.  But Eric and Tommy were in good form (although I have to think it must be weird being somebody else–almost like being in a cover band even though you make new music).  Anyway, this album was said to be a hearkening back to Kiss of old, and in many ways it is.  I rather wish they went back a little further, but it definitely feels like classic Kiss.

The lead single, “Hell or Hallelujah” sounds like great classic Kiss– a great riff and a big chorus that is fun to sing along with.  The biggest surprise is probably “Wall of Sound”, one of the best Gene songs in ages.  It’s got a typical gene bridge–poppy but with a heaviness that recalls Creatures of the Night.    And Gene isn’t being cheesy on it, a trap he often falls into.

“Freak” is a cool nonconformist  song, although it sounds a little odd coming from these old men.  From a younger band (that’s not hugely popular) it might rock a little harder

“Back to the Stone Age” starts out very promising, but they fall into that bad pop-Kiss trap on the chorus–it just goes right into a super pop territory which kind of undermines the aggressiveness of the verses.  And then there’s that awful moment where the music stops and (a bad sign in general) and Gene says “I like it”  ugh.  There’s the cheese.  “Mercy” reminds me of “Young and Wasted” and that heavy era.  Although you can hear that Paul doesn’t quite have the scream he used to. “Long Way Down” is a decent middle of the album song-it doesn’t really stand out or anything.  “Eat Your Heart Out” is the standard sleazy sex song–updating it for the new decade I guess–nothing terribly interesting (but points off for using the phrase “hot mess” in the chorus).

“The Devil is Me” is one of those “evil” Gene songs that is less evil sounding than it would have been in the 70s (not sure why that is, but it’s true).  I like the scary Gene songs better than the sexy Gene songs and this one is a good one–Gene really brings it on this song–even in his bass playing.  I am always impressed when he does little bass licks–pedestrian as they may be.  (Although yea, I hate when he “talks” in songs).

Next comes the part of the album where things get weird.  “Ace” sings a song.  What’s weird is that he sings a song that’s not unlike something Ace would sing–it’s about rockets and outerspace.  He even sounds  little bit like Ace vocally.  (although the guitars don’t really sound like something Ace would write).  But how strange to write a song as if you were someone else.  Even weirder is “Peter’s” song.  Singer sounds an awful lot like Peter.  And this song sounds crazily like a half a dozen Kiss songs from the 70s (Baby Driver and others).  It’s about rock n roll, which is what Peter often sang about. This one is the more uncanny of the two.  I don’t really like the song but  I can’t get over what a good job of aping old Kiss it s.

“Take Me Down Below” is that wonderful extended metaphor for sex that really works–it’s quite funny and since Gene and Paul both sing it, it’s more of a funny song than a salacious one–nice puns, hon.  The final song is “Last Chance.” It opens with a great bass sound and ends the album on a positive note.

All in all, this is a really solid album from Kiss.  They did go back to basics–not as far as their early 70s stuff which I think we all would have liked, but at least to their second bet era–and he band seems really invigorated.   There’s a few clunkers (they can’t seem to escape  the cheese that they sprinkled on their makeup-free albums), but the hits hit big.

[READ: January 4, 2013] “The Hidden Person”

I was surprised that this story was set in Iceland.  Especially since when it started, it seemed far more city-centric.  But soon enough it transpired that the girl’s full body coverings were not religious in nature but simply sensible because of the cold weather .

This is the story of Unnur, a young girl who has bounced around from parish to parish–and recently getting mixed up with Magnus, a man who employed her, but was not kind to her.  But perhaps it was all she could expect.  She had more or less been run out of her previous parish, accused of petty crimes  theft and what not, and with that reputation preceding her, all troubles were naturally her fault.  So when some ewes go missing, she is a suspect.

There is also the shocking story of her past,  Unnur has been a foundling.  She was taken in by a widow who helped with foundlings.  When Unnur was 8, the widow died during the winter.  The girl, not knowing what to do or who to call, simply put the woman outside.  In the Spring when the widow’s brother came, he found the girl.  And the smell.  The girl was well-mannered but starving.  No one thought she killed the widow, but they did wondered at her behavior and empathy.  But what was worse was the condition she was in.  The old woman, in an attempt to rid Unnur of fleas, poured boiling grease on her head.  Now she wore a wig.

AS for the ewes, some were discovered with shotgun shells in them, and so Unnur was cleared–it was likely the work of the recluse Gudmundur Jökulsson who owned the whole valley.  No one saw him–he was solitary and territorial and not above killing sheep for his own use if they came on his own property.  Of course, he was more rumor than reality at this point–many thought he didn’t exist and some thought he was a hidden person (a fairy).

When Unnur turned 19 Magnus made sexual advances toward her and she left (stealing a bicycle)  for the wilderness.  And that is where she ran into Gudmundur who was riding a horse.  While asleep.  She followed him home.  She asked for a night’s lodging and he obliged, giving her food and a comfortable place to stay.  He even fixed the chain on her bicycle.

The next morning, she asked for a ride into the next town but grew concerned when he headed in a different direction.  At a good opportunity, she tries to steal his horse and in the process reveals that he is not Gudmundur.  His name is Örn; Gudmundur’s been dead for years.  Örn was hurt in the fight and Unnur, who couldn’t flee because the horse only listened to Örn, took pity on him.  He had clearly hit his head and mistook Unnur for his wife.  The end of the story switches perspective and brings an unreality to a story that was pretty surreal to start with.

There were parts of the story I found confusing, but I enjoyed the tone and the mystical feeling of it.  I see that Scibona has written other stories that I have been confused by.  It’s an interesting trait.

For ease of searching, I include:  Gudmundur Jokulsson, Orn