|
| XV | 
 enlarge | Artist: King's X
Label: Inside Out Music
Category: Music
List Price: $17.98
Buy New: $11.47
You Save: $6.51 (36%)
New (47) Used (8) from $11.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  80 reviews
Sales Rank: 7065
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 79690
UPC: 693723969022
EAN: 0693723969022
ASIN: B0015UGNSC
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: All products brand new and factory sealed.
|
| Customer Reviews:
 A few good cuts, but falls behind "Ogre Tones" June 16, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
First of all, I have to say that King's X is one of the very few bands that for whom I have a complete collection of their recordings. I always look forward to hearing what the band is doing. I was VERY heartened by Ogre Tones (except for Doug's choice of lyric in one song).
However, this release strikes me quite differently. I have a playlist of "Best of King's X" on my MP3 player, but only 3-4 tracks from this CD will probably make it onto the Playlist. To put my opinion in context, here's a breakdown of how many cuts from each Original Studio CD have made it on my "Best of" (Hope I remembered them all)
OOTSP - 6
GGTN - 12 (entire CD)
FHL - 7
King's X - 6
Dogman - 6
Ear Candy - 6
Tape Head - 8
PCHMB - 7
Manic Moonlight - 2
Black Like Sunday - 2
Ogre Tones - 7
XV - 4?
While I do agree that the band has rebounded from the dismal "Manic Moonlight", I thought "Ogre Tones" was much closer to the bar that they had set previously. I would disagree that this hearkens back to "Ear Candy" or "Tape Head" or "Dogman", in which almost all of the cuts were great.
The songs on this CD seem more rambling and less cohesive, both musically and lyrically. While some of the tight harmonies are there and the playing is great, I just don't think the songs themselves are, as a whole, up to King's X standards.
There are some nice things here though. I really like "Alright" and "I Just Want to Live" and "Go Tell Somebody", however after these three tracks, things seem to taper off quickly for me.
Anyway - still a big fan. Just my 2 cents. Take it for what it's worth.
 Infectious! August 20, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
pushing 4.5 stars...
I cannot stop listening to this album - and it's been awhile since I've said that about ANY album. XV, for all of its simplicities, is still hard to categorize; and that's what makes it great. It's the type of album that, while packing a legitimate punch upon first listen, doesn't necessarily blow you away upon first listen; and again, that's what makes it great! Your brain goes through the mechanical intellectualizations the first time around, taking inventory...no real soloing, no epics, nothing incredibly new sounding or adventurous... all tunes are short and "sweet." And frequently, the danger with such a recipe lies in the fact that this sort of thing may trigger you to permanently retire the album to your shelf (or out of your ipod) after just one shot - forever forgotten.
But not this album! This is King's X we're talking about!!! What other group can write an entire song around "One day it's gonna be alright alright yeah alright alright yeah," with all the background vocals and trimmings of anthemic sing-along, AND have it come out sounding so damn... ARTISTIC!!! And so it is for reasons like this, that King's X proves to have [once again] escaped the chasm of a one-listen-toss-away, because there's something subconscious in you that wants you to return to track one and blast through it again.
And again and again. Until finally you give yourself permission to sing along with the "na na na na" syllable chorus of "BROKE" with all the serious, soulful, heartfelt fist-pumping urgency that is deserved. While I'd still file this as a "grows on you" album, if only because you will (I PROMISE) become more obsessed with it with each new listen, I do confess it grows on you very quickly - so watch out! The only heartbreak for me is the "straight-A-kid-has-expectations-set-even-higher" syndrome. We all know the band's potential...and given the electric energy in the air here, it pains me when I think perhaps this coulda-woulda-shoulda been a...dare I say...masterpiece, had they taken their newfound energy and pushed the envelope of adventurousness a little more - but while still leaving all the "whoa yeah's" firmly intact!
Alas, I'm sure a lot of fans will disagree with me, triumphantly applauding this release as a sigh-of relief "return to form" in a way, that still feels fresh and in a phase all of its own. But don't get me wrong, who am I to disgree? Right now, I'm addicted.
Ok fine, 5 stars - the Brian May guitar harmonies at the very end are a knockout punch
Finally!! May 20, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Their best album since "Kings X"!! Finally, something to rival the early masterpieces of the 80's, like "Gretchen". They've ended the nu-metal, chintzy production days of their stint at Metal Blade records, and put out an album that's pure Kings X, only hinted at on their last album, "Ogre Tones". I'd all but given up hope!
 Sweetly Song Oriented May 23, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Some CD's you have to listen to a few times until they grow on you. I unwrapped this one -- and it rocks! Right away. This is one of King's X's best.
 Another bland KX release June 17, 2008
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is the 4th straight King's X Album (along with Manic Moonlight, Black Like Friday, and Ogre Tones) that I will likely listen to a couple of times and then rarely, if ever, pick up again. They used to sound like a metal band and now they sound like a hard rock band. There is a difference.
The songwriting is very bland and uninteresting for the most part, and they just sound like any other band, where they used to have one of the most distinct sounds of any band. If it wasn't my recognition of Tabor and Pinnick's voices, I wouldn't even know this is KX.
One of the trademarks of the great and good King's X albums (OOSP thru Bulbous) was the distinct sound of Ty Tabor's guitars. What happened to that sound and the riffs? Did he change up his rig? Now it is just heavy grunge-ey sounding basic riffs that have no distinction.
I think they are spreading themselves too thin and the music is suffering because of it. They have so much side work going on that the good songs are getting spread around amongst all of these projects and their albums, both solo and w/King's X, have a lot of filler in them.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
