Pineappleskunk in Bloomington, MN

Talented
Texas rock
trio
King's X
is a vastly overlooked band except for as musicians, but one thing is certain -- they need all three of their musicians to function at full capacity. Upon their 1997
Best Of
CD, guitarist
Ty Tabor
's 1998 solo debut,
Moonflower Lane
, and bassist/vocalist
Doug Pinnick
's band,
Poundhound
's
Massive Grooves
CD that same year, the rumor was that
was finished after a 12-year recording career. But
missed
Pinnick
's soulful vocals as much as
lacked
Tabor
's fiery guitar playing, so the trio's 1998
Tape Head
CD signaled a truce. Yet
still seems to think that his voice isn't heard enough even though he's the
frontman, as evidenced by
's 2001
Pineappleskunk
sophomore release. Again recording with
drummer
Jerry Gaskill
,
crafts a 16-step program in disappointment, otherwise "written, arranged, recorded, mixed, produced and performed by
."
opens the introductory track
"Somedays"
with the line "Now I'm on my own/I took a break for heaven's sake," the first of the many trite lyrical excursions that he avoids with
. "If people could stop sucking, the world could be a better place" dooms
"Next in Line,"
and
's guitar playing -- no match for
's, or even his own creatively effect-laden bass tones and soaring voice -- thwarts nearly every tune. With whammy-bar dives and pick scratches reminiscent of a second-rate
Joe Satriani
reduces
"Mind"
"Atlanta"
to "music minus one" variations of
. Unfortunately, that "one" is
, an under-heard yet extraordinary blend of
Jimi Hendrix
Steve Vai
, and
Pink Floyd
David Gilmour
.
also puts the spotlight too much on himself by overdubbing all his own vocal harmonies, rather than allowing
Gaskill
-- one-third of the most choir-like band in
rock
-- to do anything but play drums. Glimmers of
R&B
(
"Jumpin"
) and strutting
metal
"Eventime"
) keep
off the respirator, but for
's best work from this time frame, refer to
's 2000 CD,
Please Come Home...Mr. Bulbous
. ~ Bill Meredith