KING'S X - "PLEASE COME HOME...MR. BULBOUS" (METAL BLADE)

 

I didn't get introduced into the world of King's X until their previous album, "Tape Head". It was a kind of music that I hadn't heard much before, a kind of rather heavy but very melodic rock, with Doug Pinnick's unique and recognisable vocals.

"Please Come Home...Mr. Bulbous" is not more of the same. In fact, the album comes across as distinctly unmelodic. I don't exactly know what causes this. The contrast is emphasised by the band putting in really melodic, "classic King's X" choruses in the middle of songs that somehow sound disjointed to me. This goes for "Fish Bowl Man", the opener, in particular. There's the Beatles-esque "She's Gone Away" and a handful of tracks that seem to approach their former melodicity/melodiousness/whatever ("When You're Scared", "Smudge" and "Move Me (Part Two)"), but other than that the album is very inconspicuous. And I say this after several listens, initially assuming the album would (have to) grow on me.

The lyrics are still the familiar silliness that we know and love of this band, this time emphasised by spoken bits between the songs (in Dutch and Japanese (?), spoken by native speakers). The bottom line, I'm afraid, is that this won't spend a lot of time in my CD player.

Click here to check out or buy this CD

RK

 

Written April 2000

 

Go to the Official King's X Home Page

Back to the Main Menu