(22 Jan 2011)
It's 3 in the afternoon. You're in an elevator. The sleek stainless steel walls and the ThyssenKrupp logo remind you that you're in some very serious place, like an airport. As you leave the lift when the doors open, you are checked by security. They show quite an interest in the suitcase you're carrying. The scanner proves them right. You were carrying quite a vast array of weaponry there. This meant that they did not notice the gun you were holding as the drums come in. Welcome to In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster, Shining's third release.
"Goretex Weather Report" starts this album with one of the biggest bangs since the big one and keeps the momentum and energy going well into "Romani", guiding through lots of different moods, all whilst experimenting with their jazz. "REDRUM" picks up where the opener left off and adds a little epilogue to it, while the third track resorts more to melody and well-placed crescendos. "Perdurabo" loses a bit of the momentum that had kept the album going so far, but has a really nice groove that gets it through and is among the most experimental and chaotic songs in the album. After this slight disappointment, the album is saved by "Aleister Explains Everything" and an incredibly infectious sax riff.
What's really interesting about this album is the way it always seems like it's about to go downhill, like the guys are out of ideas, but it doesn't. For the most time, it hangs on by a thread, but it hangs on to it with all it has. At least, for the most part.
The second half starts out very promising with "31=300=20", which changes the album to a more atmospheric direction, and it works perfectly. The whole song is an incredible crescendo. Sadly, it leads to nowhere, the album starts losing flow. You think the climax promised by track 6 is nearby, but it never comes. The songs themselves have all got really interesting parts, and "The Smoking Dog" is probably the best song in the whole album, but the flow is already ruined beyond repair, and the second half ends up being a very exhausting listen.
This is where the album fails, and that's why an album with such good songs doesn't compete with the other Shining albums. The other albums have structure, and that means you can actually appreciate their genius. This album is incredibly promising, but never quite fulfills its promises. I wish it had.
Standout tracks:
Goretex Weather Report
Romani
Aleister Explains Everything
31=300=20 (It Is by Will Alone I Set My Mind in Motion)
The Smoking Dog
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