Kings of Belgium

Unchained Melodies

[Off; 2009]

Styles: post-rock, funk, jazz
Others: Pierre Vervloesem, X-Legged Sally, Mr. Bungle
Links: Kings of Belgium - Off

Unchained Melodies is a bouncy, sugar-raved head-trip from Belgian experimentalist Pierre Vervloesem. Over eight sprawling instrumental jams, Vervloesem, guitarist Gil Mortio, and drummer Al Battor drunkenly careen from trope to trope, slipping in and out of genres and leaving them where they fall like a trail of colorful but ill-fitting clothing. Unchained Melodies carries the same sense of playfulness and hyperactivity of Vervloesem’s 2008 solo effort Not Even Close, but it benefits from a much more organic sense of song development lacking in his spastic foray into electronica.

Discussing individual tracks is difficult considering the rapid starts, stops, and about-faces each song takes. The album comes together like it was assembled by a less psychotic Mr. Bungle. One almost-constant throughout is Vervloesem’s funky, slap-heavy bass playing. “All About Hopopatamtam” opens with some thick burbling bass licks that would not have been out of place on a Rage Against the Machine album. Mortio joins in with his staccato guitar jabs, and the song flows along steadily until stopping abruptly at the minute-and-a-half mark and downshifting into a smoother, jazzier signature. Then, out of nowhere, the melody combusts into a fuzzed-up freak-out before finally returning to its central theme. For a time, at least. To the threesome’s credit, these shift-on-a-dime dynamics are executed skillfully enough that the listener doesn’t feel jerked around. The band also makes good use of quieter moments, like the opening to “All About Pompeuze Part 1,” which constructs a listless melody from Battor’s scattered drumming, Vervloesem’s sputtering bassline, and some electronically manipulated Gregorian chant samples.

Unfortunately, the Kings’ strengths also double as their weaknesses. The smoothness of the transitions makes it hard to distinguish where one song ends and another begins, and the random exuberance of the album makes it very difficult to pin a distinct identity to any of the tracks. As complex, genre-defying, and occasionally amelodic as it is, Unchained Melodies is easy to lose yourself in. It fades seamlessly into the background, surfacing now and again when the trio hits upon a particularly effective groove. Aficionados of fun, free-spirited experimental music that isn’t too snobby to throw an occasional hook to its listeners will likely enjoy Unchained Melodies, but the trio’s protean compositions might not leave much of a lasting impression.

1. All About Boys Music
2. All About Incompetenz
3. All About Hippopotamtam
4. All About Pompeuze Part 1
5. All About Pompeuze Part 2
6. All About 1982
7. All About Caravans
8. All About Birds

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