Thursday, March 8, 2012

Song of the Day: King's X, "Complain"

Normally I wouldn't waste your time with Rush Limbaugh, the GOP's living example of fish in a barrel. It'd be redundant to take potshots at him, especially this week, but that won't stop me from posting a song that does.


With Limbaugh and sadly, King's X both in the news this week, it's as good a time as any to listen to "Complain." The see-the-big-picture lyrics aren't particularly astute ("Ozone disappearing in the sky...if I could find my magazine this bug would die, I complain") but they're a lot of fun to sing along to.

Dogman, King's X's heaviest album, is home to "Complain." Producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots) brought King's X closer to their multiplatinum contemporaries, with crunchier, more basic riffs than before, testing whether the band's best attributes--mainly, their musical dexterity and vocal harmonies--could shine through. Thankfully, they're all over "Complain."

There isn't another metal band in the world with vocals like these. It's impressive enough to hear First Preacher of Hard Rock Doug Pinnick wailing like Sly Stone at Motörhead show, but it's every time that guitarist Ty Tabor and drummer Jerry Gaskill lock in with him on the chorus that I get buzzed. You can't convince me that these three haven't all been singing together since childhood.


Where's Limbaugh in all this? Listen to the song. But if we're getting into influences on a musicianship-pushing hard rock power trio, we'd have to start with an entirely different Rush.

Update: Send a get well card to Jerry Gaskill at the address below.

Riverview Hospital
1 River Plaza
Red Bank, NJ 07701
For patient Jerry Gaskill. 

2 comments:

bearicaquinn said...

I have been having such an issue with all the recent talk of "Rush"....because I am always going to straight to band. Not dude. (Much preferable.)

Ben Apatoff said...

Good choice. Apparently the only Rush that matters is having an issue with it too: http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/03/07/rush-the-band-to-rush-the-dickmouth-wanna-get-sued-dude/#more-86264