SOUNDTRACK: KING’S X-Manic Moonlight (2001).
This disc is not terribly popular among the King’s X fans. A big complaint is that they dared to use drum loops. It’s kind of a funny complaint because aside from adding a bit of texture (and for some reason, having each song start out with the drum machine), it’s not like they’ve suddenly gone all techno. In fact, overall the album has a feeling of insular claustrophobia. It feels like the songs are just densely packed with little room to breathe.
To me, the loops aren’t that odd for a band that’s big into experimentation (although you’ll note they were not used again). What’s unusual is the addition of funk elements in “Believe,” and some really funky elements in “Vegetable” There’s also some noisy/crunchy guitar workouts in “Yeah.” This song is also kind of odd as the verses are practically inaudible, but the choruses (which consist of the word “Yeah”) are just so great! Perhaps the most unusual track on the disc is “Skeptical Wind” which comes across as a rhymed/spoken-word piece that references Mia Farrow among other things.
But the title track sounds most like the King’s X we know and love. In addition, “False Alarm” and “Jenna” are pretty close to the earlier Ty ballads (even though Ty doesn’t sing them). They contain the harmonies we’re used to, but really they are sort of smothered in all of the surrounding noise.
The album is still full of great songs…the guys never lost their songwriting chops. It’s just the way the songs are presented that makes them sound so different. It’s an interesting experiment, for which I give them credit, but it really doesn’t showcase the best aspects of the band.
[READ: Throughout 2008] Schott’s Miscellany 2008
In the best case of “but I thought you liked him” ever, Sarah bought me this book for Christmas, certain that I had read and enjoyed other books by him. Interestingly, I had never heard of him or his books. But I was very intrigued by the concept of it.
As you might imagine, I enjoy trivia and I like facts. And for a person like me, this collection is fantastic. As the subtitle says, it is an almanac; however, unlike the standard almanacs (Information Please, etc.) which are just lists of information. Ben Schott (could he be the only one who works on this book?) gathers all of the interesting things that happened from September 2006 through August 2007 into interesting, subjective groups, with interesting, subjective names, and then writes about them. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 