dUg Pinnick - Naked

After most of the 00's bumming around with a slew of side projects and extending his resume with a long list of guest appearances dUg dropped his most recent solo album since 2007's Strum Sum Up with 2013's Naked. As was the norm for his earlier records everything you hear is done by him, but Naked stands out from his past releases chiefly thanks to dUg's first attempt at providing his own drumming rather than getting his partner in King's X Jerry Gaskill to pound the skins for him.

Although I've listened to Pinnick's previous solo albums prior to hearing Naked none of them really grabbed me besides his debut, Massive Grooves From the Electric Church of Psychofunkadelic Grungelism Rock Music and portions of his next one Pineappleskunk. Massive Grooves pretty much sums up Pinnick's style of music, and this newest apple doesn't fall far from the 12-string tree. Opener "What You Gonna Do?" casts a plaintive light over the rest of the record while darker numbers like "Heart Attack" and the weirdly ominous "Take Me Away From You" let everyone know that happiness and friendship aren't the topics at hand. dUg is a plain dude and this is a plain record - there really aren't any tricks he's got up his sleeve besides him doing his own drumming, and... well, let's just say that there's a reason Jerry did the drumming in King's X and not him. The first couple of songs actually sound quite good - "If You Fuk Up" and "Courage" are solid no-frills rockers and that Pinnick crunch we all know and love is plentiful on tracks like "Take Me Away From You" and "Speeding Love".

Things run out of steam towards the end as the song lengths start to elongate. "I Hope I Don't Lose My Mind" works but "Heart Attack", "The Point", and "I'm Not Gonna Freak Out" really stretch the limits of the compositions on offer here, especially as Naked never gels together completely - either the drumming stumbles, or a verse gets repeated once too often or slips into trite-land, or dUg's vocals are astoundingly mixed too loud and drown out the music. His talents as a bass player, vocalist, and writer are all indisputable, especially with all the high quality work he's been putting out with KXM and PGP, but all of them mixed into the same pot without anything else ensures that too much of the material here just never gets off the ground. While Pinnick is assuredly at his best as part of an ensemble, Naked isn't a total write-off - but if you're just getting into his stuff, I would look elsewhere for an entry point.

C

Mafia 2

Credit goes to nukke for this sick design

Since Mafia III is shaping up to be pretty interesting  and Mafia II just got re-released on Steam for a measly $5, I figured I would give it a shot to figure out why fans seem so protective of this little series of open-world interactive Goodfellas reenactments. Turns out that the answer is close to why people have had such a fascination with the real-world Mafia: they both possess a suave, charming exterior that makes it hard to process the fact that they're responsible for some truly twisted shit. Mafia II, like the organization it's creators are so clearly enamored of, is fast-talking and reasonably good-looking on the surface but the calm waters on top mask an undertow of textbook development hell. While it's ambitions and heart were in the right place, the game exemplifies the state of "over-promise, under-deliver" that games caught in such a long development cycle can end up in.

The real reason fans of this game and franchise are so reluctant to see the series go mainstream is that for all the things Mafia II did wrong, it is, at the same time, almost shockingly ahead of its time in certain aspects. For one, the facial animations and cutscenes are top-notch, especially considering Mass Effect 2 released that same year, along with the overall art direction of the city, characters, and particularly the cars. You think George Miller likes cars? Taken along with the included physics-based driving model dubbed "Simulation" the game simply has one of the most enjoyable driving models I've played with, especially considering the time period of the events of the story which range from the mid 1940s to the late '50s - peak time for the American land-boat, and especially considering that GTA clones aren't known for really good driving mechanics. It's a good thing that the driving and cars are so enjoyable, Mafia II is similar to that gem Far Cry 2 in that both games force you to manually drive to your destination - Far Cry 2 actually has a better fast travel system despite that game taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. I'd say of the 14 hours I spent with Mafia II, a solid 5 of those were just driving to the next story mission.

Luckily, the story here is basically one long highlight. It's populated with well-acted, reasonable interesting characters, mostly you're standard Goodfellas types, but the voice acting is largely nicely low-key and convincing - more The Sopranos, less Joe Pesci. The writing for the characters and plot itself, which follows the life of Italian World War II vet Vito Scaletta after he returns from active duty and his life in the Italian Mob of Empire Bay, is also a standout component here, and while it isn't breaking any new ground for the genre, for a committed and largely self-serious period piece it works quite well. I found myself rushing to get to the next story beat just so I could enjoy more of the deliciously pulpy narrative as the cutscenes would frequently lure my dad in to watch, drawn by the comforting tones of that famous accent - incidentally, major props to the voice actor who played both Derek and Joe, Robert Costanzo, for knocking them both way out of the park. The story missions themselves are well-varied in their setups and objectives and it never felt like it was a chore (except for when I had to replay the same 20 minute sections over and over due to the bullshit checkpoint system). The animations and character models are also excellent, with the gunplay in particular being way better than I expected - every gun kicks and barks convincingly and the enemies are tough without being annoying bullet sponges for the most part. Handguns feel appropriately solid, especially the .44 Magnum with it's distinctive Dirty Harry report, and the shotgun and Tommy gun are incredibly satisfying to unload. You'll be ventilating a lot of deadbeat cocksuckers in your time with Mafia II and it honestly never feels dull.

Sounds pretty good so far, right? Right. Well, Mafia II definitely has it's rough edges and while it never got game-breaking bug level bad, I definitely had to take a break for a couple of days after getting super pissed off at the little annoying things that come with the package, like the way the checkpoint system saves about once every 30 minutes (seriously), meaning you'll be replaying entire missions over again in some cases if you fail partway through, or the way storing a car in your garage doesn't actually fucking save it - you need to progress the story to a checkpoint to do that. Or the fact that the only things you can actually do in the city that isn't a story mission is eat a burger, buy some clothes/guns, or get gas - yes, cars in this game will run out of gas periodically. Oh, and you can steal cars and drive them to 2 certain spots on the map to turn them in for cash, and look for collectibles.

So yeah, Mafia II is basically the definition of a flawed gem - if you're willing to look at it in the proper light, it's quite striking: a real passion project, with mountains of charm (I haven't even mentioned the music - actual, licensed classic Christmas songs!). In a dark room, though, it's just a lump of carbon - unnecessarily frustrating, predictable, and feature light. That said, I'm biased towards these types of games and am willing to forgive a lot for ambitious over-reaching, so the less-than-smashing success of Mafia II doesn't come as much of a surprise. While I'm doubtful Mafia III can be sanded down into a smoother experience without giving up a lot of what makes the series special, Mafia II will remain a very fun and very unique experience.

B- 

 

KXM - KXM

Another album I wrote about previously, KXM is the tersely named debut record of the hard rock super-trio of the same name, fronted by dUg Pinnick and staffed with Korn's former drummer and the guitar player of Dokken - not exactly my first picks for such a team-up. The last couple of years has seen Pinnick at his most prolific, releasing solo album #4 alongside his various side projects ranging from blues to psychedelia, so KXM's formation just seemed like another hard rock project. As it turns out, though, KXM is a bit more special.

Tonally, KXM's foundations are built on the bones of late-period King's X material - "Stars", "Human Friction", "Faith Is a Room", are the clearest call backs, but enough of the writing here is King's X-ish that I have to wonder if Pinnick was bringing in some excess material from the Ogre Tones or XV sessions for this one (and yes, there are harmony vocals too). While King's X is a clear point of reference throughout the record, the overall focus is more on delivering solid no-nonsense hard rock, and several of these tunes do that very, very well - "Stars", "Rescue Me", "Human Friction", and "Faith Is a Room" contain the perfect balance of barreling riffs and hooky choruses I've heard since, well, King's X last recorded an album. In particular the interplay between drummer Ray Luzier and guitarist George Lynch is what makes the playing on KXM stand out, although vocal performance by Pinnick is album-long highlight as well, as are the majority of the lyrics, which were also all penned by Pinnick along with the vocal arrangements. Pinnick's strength and weakness as a lyricist has always been his ground-level approach to wordplay: pieces like "Picture" and "Black The Sky" are stronger for it, but sometimes he's too on-the-nose (his solo albums are unfortunately good examples of this inconsistency). The topics covered are the usual suspects like love, loneliness, and faith, but hes seems to have a bit more fire in his belly this time ("Love", "Do it Now", "Gunfight") and it certainly fits the material on offer well.

KXM's biggest misstep, then, lies not in its material (although the songs are a bit too long across the board) but it's production - it's very loud, but not in a rich, Tape Head kind of way - more like a Death Magnetic brickwalled kind of way. I get some noticeable ear fatigue after playing it and Pinnicks' bass gets drowned under the wall of guitars a bit too often, but it's certainly not a dealbreaker but here's hoping for a DR score higher than 5 (the much-shit-upon production of The Flesh Prevails clocked in at 3) for KXM numero dos.

B-

King's X - Black Like Sunday

After the experimental leanings of the previous two King's X records, the time came for the band to return to a sound closer to its roots while still offering up something more interesting than Tape Head Part II. Dropping in 2003, Black Like Sunday seems like both a bit of an olive branch to longtime fans that were less than pleased with the last couple of albums as well as a sea change in the group's direction back towards the heavier and more grounded sound of their mid to late '90s output.

This return to a straight-ahead hard rock sound was accomplished via a selection of demo recordings first created during the trio's earlier incarnations Sneak Preview and The Edge, rewritten with 20 years' worth of experience brought to bear. The master plan for the record is revealed right from the opening blast of the reassuringly lumbering title track: we're right back in the middle of groove country, and anyone hoping for a return to the Ear Candy era of King's X recordings will be quickly mollified. Black Like Sunday doesn't lay off the gas much through it's runtime as a procession of mid-tempo bruisers come right after the other, mixed in with lighter numbers that present an arena rock-ish, almost glam vibe - "Rock Pile", "Danger Zone", "Won't Turn Back". Here we also have the first 9+ minute long song since the title track off Faith Hope Love in the interesting "Johnny" which flirts with reggae and New Wave sensibilities, a surprisingly excellent slower number ("Down"), and the usual slab of groovy low-riders we all know and love, and Black Like Sunday is right their with the best King's X records when it comes to these: "Two", "Bad Luck", the title track, and "Dreams". Unconventional phrases and ideas are sandwiched into certain tracks and serve as small reminders of their recent past's forays into psychedelia - the crackling phonographic break in "Two Words", dUg's blistering shriek in "Rock Pile", the slow burning breakdown and buildup of "Johnny"'s later half, coupled with the lyrics which betray the youth of the men writing them most flagrantly, all get stirred into the pot to create a hard rock album that's just slightly off center - goofy, almost.

The production isn't as rich or warm as their previous albums and it isn't as adventurous as Manic Moonlight or Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous, but Black Like Sunday isn't trying to radically experiment with anything - it's King's X putting a fresh spin on the music they've always loved making most, and it's a better experience for it.

C+

King's X - Manic Moonlight

Breaking the trend of 2 year breaks between releases, Manic Moonlight arrived just a scant year after 2000's excellent Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous and would prove to be the last disc of original material King's would drop until 2005's Ogre Tones. With such a short break between the two records a degree of similarity could be expected, and Manic Moonlight is much more in the vein of Please Come Home... than their later output, acting almost as a companion piece to the former album.

The main difference is felt in the instrumentation: stripped down bass and guitar lines and a novel use of electronic drum looping gives the tracks a more experimental, alt-rock quality ("Yeah", "Static") that wasn't such an emphasized aspect of their sound until now, and Please Come Home... to an extent. The King's X mark can still be felt on groovier highlights like "Skeptical Winds" and "Vegetable" but the name of the game here is comfortable tinkering with the more laid-back sound they'd been exploring with Please Come Home..., and mostly they succeed in creating pleasant little compositions - the only true clunkers on display are the title track and "Yeah", but the level consistency is high on Manic Moonlight mainly because you know what you're in for right from opener "Believe", for better or for worse.

None of these tracks are too long to be really grating per se, but the extended lengths of "Skeptical Winds", "Jenna", and "The Other Side", coupled with the contractually-obliged 10th song "Water Ceremony" suggest a band running on less than a full tank of gas creatively. Speculation aside, I've always thought of Manic Moonlight as the least essential King's X record - if you skip this one than you aren't missing much, especially if you aren't a fan of Please Come Home....  It's competent and definitely has it's moments, but a seminal moment it is not.

C-

King's X - Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous

While Tape Head signaled the end of King's X's preoccupation with the straight-ahead style of hard rock and poppy grunge first glimpsed on Dogman, they would never really lose their penchant for the groove, and Tape Head's successor Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous built on the foundation the trio had been laying down the last several albums with the heavier approach they had been taking. Please Come Home... stood out from the band's other work, however, for it's heavy emphasis on psychedelia, both lyrically and in the structure of the songs themselves. If the last couple of King's X records were a bit too much dUg for you, than the larger presence of Ty and Jerry's more esoteric inclinations may be more to your liking.

Lead-off track "Fish Bowl Man" lays the game plan out perfectly and is the entire album in a 4 minute capsule: an pointedly repetitive verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure featuring some very out-there lyrics, capped off with Jerry reciting a poem while the band apes a poetry slam soundtrack before reprising that chunky chorus. The rest of the album sticks close to this blueprint, delving further into outright psychedelia than they've ever gone, before or since. There are still moments of brevity to be found in, primarily in the tunes most clearly penned by Ty Tabor - the excellent "She's Gone Away" and "Bittersweet", while the heavier tunes, primarily "Marsh Mallow Field" and "Move Me", have an honest, almost workmanlike quality in their delivery that makes even lyrics like "A militant mothers, a militant brothers/A militant marsh mellow field" seem weirdly somber - it's definitely different hearing such blatantly bizarre lyrics recited in such a brooding way, and it's another quality that Please Come Home... has that no other King's X album has. You might think that with the word salad lyrics comes hand in hand with looser material, but that's another area that this record delivers the goods in better than it has any right to 8 albums in. From the multi-layered vocals in "Smudge", dUg's scratchy background vox at the back end of "Marsh Mallow Field", to the samples of laughter nestled in the background of "When You're Scared", there is a surprising amount of care taken here to make each song stand on it's own, and the raw material assembled on Please Come Home.. is stronger than any subsequent King's X record.

Clocking in at a modest 44 minutes, it's over in a flash (especially as the last two songs are just two separated halves of the same piece) and never overstays its welcome - almost certainly the most underrated King's X album, especially if you're looking for a lighter experience after their last several albums. The production is just as clear and warm as Tape Head / Ear Candy - at this point in their discography dUg's bass tone is basically pure chocolate, and Jerry continues his reign as secret weapon of this trio. It's mature but not pompous, catchy but not forced, and different in the best way.

B-

King's X - Tape Head

After 1996's Ear Candy ended King's X's major label run without any noticeable surge in popularity, the band took some time to reconvene and refuel as the members devoted more time to solo records and side projects than rushing out the next big King's X record. dUg dropped Massive Grooves... and provided guest vocals to a track on Dream Theater's 1997 release Falling into Infinity Ty provided his own debut solo album, Moonflower Lane, along with a starring role in supergroup Platypus' first album. When the group began putting together the material that would become Tape Head, they eschewed the direction of an outside producer and wrote nearly entirely in the studio as a collaborative effort between all three members.

The most obvious result of this more free-flowing method of songwriting is that Tape Head is a much more consistent album than Ear Candy as the heavier songs and the lighter ones are all much closer together in terms of tone - "Fade" and "Groove Machine" crunch hard, but "Over and Over" and "Ocean" sound nearly as big in their own right, retaining that distinctive King's X mix of world weary yet hopeful lyrics - the psychedelic word salad of Ear Candy is put on the back burner as the group opts for a more down-to-earth approach. The band has always worn its influences on its sleeve, those ingredients are distilled into a much more distinct flavor with Tape Head.

That said, this is still a post-Dogman record - the focus, as hinted at by track one, is one the groove. "Fade", "Cupid", and "Hate You" are excellent blends of darkness & light a la "Pretend" or "Run", while "Ocean", "Ono", and "Higher Than God" get in and get out before you have a chance to lose interest. The only really weak area of the disc is the end - "Happy" is King's X firing on all cylinders, but "Mr. Evil" and "World" can't quite provide the same kind of payoff of "Pillow" or "Silent Wind". "World" might be the only King's X song that is saved from blandness by a guitar solo, but dUg and especially Jerry are the real prime movers of Tape Head, and they've never sounded better. Between dUg's chocolate cake bass tone and Jerry's propulsive percussion Tape Head sounds like a band that's truly comfortable and in their element, and remains one of the brightest spots in their discography.

B+