King's X

Item: Tape Head
Author: Steven S. Baldwin

Tape Head

(1998)

Reviewed by Steven S. Baldwin

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Spotify YouTube Music

Label Metal Blade RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1998

alternative metal hard rock progressive rock

Music, oh music, such a funky thing.
The closer you get, the deeper it means.
Welcome to the Groove Machine!
Welcome to the groove!

King's X is back in almost top form with Tape Head. If you are a fan of the band, you'll be pleased to learn they've combined their signature sound with a few surprises. In fact, they've largely revisited the original sound they carved with their debut album, Out of the Silent Planet, along with flashes of more recent work. The overall rawness of the tracks recalls Dogman more so than the lush, heavily produced works of Ear Candy, without being quite as grungy. The production values are a bit different, but still lets the band's talents shine through crisply. The harmonies are still sweet, the lead and bass guitar work is still stellar, and Jerry Gaskill's impressive drum work is pushed even closer to the front of the mix, as the percussive solo in the middle of "Groove Machine" most notably testifies. Best of all, they've continued to explore the funkier tradition of some of their work like "Sometimes" and "April Showers," again invoking the spirit of Sly & the Family Stone. The result is an album that doesn't push their boundaries as far as it could, but a King's X plateau is better than most bands' pinnacles, so this is still a worthy purchase. When 1996's Ear Candy was released, there were sad rumors that it may be their last album. Gratefully, that was not so, and Tape Head proves they have not rested on their laurels.

There are more high marks than stinkers in this collection, and songs like "Fade," "Ono," and "World" come close to capturing the dizzying energy of past efforts. As good as many of these songs are, however, not one is as immediately catchy as some of their highest spots like "Over My Head," "It's Love," or even "Looking for Love." What is presented is still considerable. Diehard fans will find much for both moshing and making melody.

Regrettably, King's X has determined to drift further and further away from the messages of previous albums. The overt faith-encouraging and spirit-lifting messages centered in a decidedly Christian world view are now substituted for muted messages from the same world view at best, or admonitions of a completely different beast altogether. For example, there are still faint glimmers, such as this bit from "Ocean":

Deep in the desert
One flower standing alone
Faith hope and love
Carry me back to my home.

And "Little Bit of Soul," which universally exhorts the listener to put a little soul into everything from music, to living, and even religion. Nevertheless, the overall message (if it's fair to say there is an overall message) is more akin to a sort of Sixties-love-everybody-and-love-yourself and-everything-will-be-alright vibe. "Happy" is the most obvious example:

Now the kingdom of everything is within and to love yourself is not a sin.
And if there's a light inside, it'll shine.
Then there is the ecclesiastical, nearly pessimistic nonchalance of:
White racists, black hatred, never gonna die
Religion, fascism, Armageddon time
Doomsdayin', God savin', everybody dies
World, round and round it goes.

Their transformation from a so-called Christian friendly band is nearly complete. With the absence of those upbeat faith affirmations, however, King's X has also slipped a bit in their positive energy and excitement. No longer being excited about the gifts of a Holy and Loving God, they are left only with themselves. As our faith testifies, positive sentiments about ourselves may be helpful, but they aren't enough. Neither is this album, although the strength of their song-writing musical skills nearly makes it so.

While speaking of King's X as one of the truly greatest bands of the last fifteen years, a friend recently remarked, "Y'know, they have certain songs I like better than others, but there ain't a dog in the bunch." That's still true of the fifteen songs here, although one could hope that more of Ty Tabor's world view would peek through. The last song on Tape Head, "Walter Bela Farkas (Live Peace in New York)," continues the King's X tradition of ending the album on a lighter note. This time the band improvised a rather bizarre sequence with label-mate Galactic Cowboys' Wally Farkas guesting on superbly strange vocals. The resulting song (if you can call such an experiment a song) sends the ultimate message to fans: "Stop taking us so seriously, and just enjoy our music." And we still can. King's X continues to deliver an album's worth of superior musical chops with occasional quality insights. Thank God.

4.5 tocks