Search - No More Kings :: No More Kings (Dig)

MAKING THE MOST OF WATCHING TOO MUCH TELEVISION

Thomas D. Ryan | New York | 03/22/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A while ago, my partner at American Hit Network sent me an e-mail response after I had forwarded him info about No More Kings. In a nutshell, he pretty much refused to post any information about this disk on our site. I believe his exact quote was, "This would be a new low for us." I hadn't even heard the disk yet, so who was I to argue? And besides, his instincts seemed right - any CD that features a song about Tony Macchio as "The Karate Kid" must be ridiculously bad. Add in a song about zombies and another about Charlie Brown's piano playing friend, Schroeder, and another that references both the Beastie Boys and Darth Vader in one couplet, and you've got some corny, formulaic crap, right? Don't you think? Wouldn't you expect?

Well, don't jump to conclusions. I've finally obtained a copy of this CD, and I haven't been able to pull this disk out of my player since I popped it in. Until then, I'd been sharpening my pen, preparing scathing observations about clueless whackos who pretend to be musicians and obviously watch too much television. Instead I found myself singing along, laughing out loud, and playing tracks for my friends. I have been sucked into their nerdy world, and I love it. For one thing, these guys are very good songwriters and excellent musicians. The songs are catchy as hell, and the strange topicality is a truckload of fun; it's such a relief to hear new musicians who don't feel compelled to take themselves too seriously, but play as though they mean it. The package itself is a wonderfully colorful cartoon collage of lyrics, and it captures the mood of the disk perfectly.

You want an example of what I'm talking about? Here is that couplet I mentioned above, from a track called "Someday";

Throw on some nylon pants and bust a Hammer dance

I'm kicking moves to `You Can't Touch This'

Tucked in my corduroys, I got my Beastie Boys tape

Fight for my right to party, `though I'm not invited.

Fell like Darth Vader with this helmet on my head (I can't see)

I'm in there somewhere past the plastic shell...

It's sort of as if Napoleon Dynamite made a solo record, and that's only one track. Imagine an entire CD with lyrics as strangely engrossing as that, all accompanied by songs that you find yourself humming at inopportune moments. This CD by No More Kings may look ridiculous, and it certainly sounds ridiculous on paper, but once you hear it, you'll be singing a different tune. A- Tom Ryan"

Love the video; love the album

Shieldwolf | MI | 05/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listen to it.

Buy it.

If you are related to me; expect it for Christmas this year."

Great Album!!

JD | Iowa | 10/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I stumbled across this gem while listening to Pandora Internet Radio. I'm sure glad! I enjoyed the first track I heard, "Zombie Me," and so I decided to look into No More Kings. The album was getting great reviews on Amazon, their website was awesome(!), and the music video for "Sweep the Leg" is genious. I'm not an audio-phile, or even an avid music listener--This is my first music CD purchase, ever (and no, I don't download music illegally)--but I recognize skilled musicians. And these guys are. They really enjoy themselves (just look down the names of the songs, and tell me they don't love fun) and it shows off in their music. The music is catchy, varied, and funny. If you aren't fully convinced by listening to the samples (or this review!) they have full versions of the songs to sample legally on CNet.



And download the whole album, not just individual songs. I wasn't too sure, because I thought I'd just like a few, but I'm loving about 11 out of 13. I think "About Schroeder" is funny, but doesn't deserve to be a full song, and "This" seems like a forced attempt for something completely serious. There are many gems that you'll overlook if you just download individual tracks--Girl in the Sea is probably my favorite, most underated song.



Great Album, and AmazonMP3 worked quite well! I'm listening to it on my computer as I type, and I enjoyed the songs on my Sony Ericsson W300i phone earlier today."