Aural Fixations

KING'S X
Ogre Tones
(InsideOut)
When a batter is down in the count, if he's good he can settle in, protect the plate and go with a compact swing. Don't aim for the fences, just concentrate on putting the ball in play, doing what you do best in a crucial situation.

That's exactly what King's X do on Ogre Tones. Their last good studio album (if you don't count '03's Black Like Sunday, since it consisted of new recordings of old songs) was Tape Head (1998). Oh, Please Come Home Mr. Bulbous (2000) had its moments, and last year's sprawling Live All Over the Place was fun. But Manic Moonlight (2001) was a stinker, a genuine low point for the trio.

Ogre Tones is a good—really good—return to form. Many of the songs are under three minutes long, in fact. The band gets quickly to the point, knocking out hard-edged melodies, focusing more on the vocal interplay between vocalists Doug Pinnick and Ty Tabor. "Stay" soars and roars, then ducks out at the 2:23 mark. "Bebop" sports just the sort of chorus that could make it the band's biggest official hit, even if it's not exactly Dylanesque. "Honesty" (not the Billy Joel song) is another heartfelt Tabor ballad, as pretty as "The Difference" (from Gretchen Goes to Nebraska) or "Life Going By" (from Ear Candy). It's full of pain and mixed signals, and it speaks of heartbreak to the heartbroken. And in King's X's old school, muddled way, "Get Away" ruminates, seeking to ask God questions like "What the hell were You thinking?"

King's X never got huge, and probably never will. Ask ten fans when the band peaked and you'll get twenty answers. But the band keeps plugging away, amassing a catalog that, even with missteps like Manic Moonlight, ranges from solid to terrific. There's a reason so many of us fans stick with this band, and if you've ever been curious about them, Ogre Tones is a very worthwhile place to start. Brian Briscoe [buy it]