No More Kings CD Review
L.A. Indie Funksters No More Kings Release Their Self-Titled Debut
With a love for 1980's pop culture shining through, No More Kings on Astonish Records is a mix of indie pop, rock and funk and throws in The Karate Kid for good measure.
- Genre: rock / pop / funk
- Pete Mitchell (vocals), Neil Robins (keyboards / guitar / programming), David Grant (drums), Tim Maglothin (keyboards), Josh Taylor (guitar), Beau Burtnick (bass), Christian Wojcik (guitar)
- Sounds like: Beck, The Beatles, Maroon 5
- Home: Los Angeles
- No More Kings
Twenty Years In The Making
Born from a love of 1980's fare such as Knight Rider, The Karate Kid and The Smurfs(!), No More Kings is the labour of love from front man Pete Mitchell. With a bio that reads "born in the 70's, raised in the 80's and perfected in the 90's", it's perhaps no surprise that the self-titled debut album from the band is almost like a crazy love letter to that time. What perhaps is surprising is that, mostly at least, it works.
Opening track Zombie Me is both an instantly familiar sounding song, and also one that shows how No More Kings veer from serious indie band one minute to classroom fools the next. With lyrics that allude to how people are too busy with their own lives to notice anyone else, it's a clever pastiche that even has time to name-check The Fonz from popular old show Happy Days, and finishes with some tomfoolery in the studio making the end of the track.
Sweep The Leg, Johnny...
Next track and lead single Sweep The Leg is the track that most people will probably know No More Kings for. An ode to the classic Karate Kid film, with its accompanying seven and a half minute promo video re-uniting the original cast of the 80's classic (with the exception of the late Pat Morita), the song's a funky guitar-led danceathon. With the video gaining widespread exposure, it's one of these songs that can make a band overnight.
Michael (Jump In) is an ode to the lead character from Knight Rider, and shows just how much of a personal project this is to Mitchell. With a sweeping chorus and clap along backing, it's infectious in a strangely silly way.
A Future Sound
And this is where the album could possibly confuse people, and put off potential fans. Although tracks like Someday offer an almost funkier Maroon 5 feel, and are all the better for it, others like Grand Experiment with its typewriter keyboard intro and a riff that sounds eerily like Van Halen's classic Hot For Teacher sound a little out of place, while Girl In The Sea is almost Crowded House in sound.
While it's always commendable to experiment with different sounds to find your niche, sometimes this can go a little too far and this is what occasionally happens with No More Kings. Not enough to ruin the album, especially when it has gems such as Mr B, a joyful celebration of a honey bee as "the one looking outside, falling in love at such a fine time", which evokes the spirit of The Beatles mixed in with one of the catchiest bridges heard this year and has the potential to be a live favourite.
With a sometimes hazy mixture of indie rock, funk and pop all clamouring for space, there are times when some of the songs on the album don't quite work, although by and large, it's a pleasing debut and one that bodes well for the future of No More Kings, if Mitchell can decide what style he wants to concentrate on.
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