The Ugly Kings – ‘Strange, Strange Times’: An invasion from Australia!

The band The Ugly Kings presented their newest album, titled ‘Strange, Strange Times’. The record contains ten wonderful tracks and hopes to be the spearhead of the vanguard for the invasion of Australian rock! Av a go, mates! (slang meaning ‘give something a try’).

This album is a stubbie short of a six pack … in a good way!

Before I start, I have to apologise to our non-Australian friends for the many references to Australian slang! The title of this paragraph means the record is a bit crazy! But in a good way! And as we go along, you'll understand what I mean…

When you think of Australia and music, which bands come to mind?! If we don't limit ourselves to the rock genre, then the Bee Gees or INXS also come to mind. As for rock bands and artists, the most well-known coming from this great continent are Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and AC/DC. Both of these bands have become known for different kinds of rock music. Now, The Ugly Kings come along with a different style, that of alternative rock.

An album that's very different and authentic

The ‘Strange, Strange Times’ is a distinctive album. The music of The Ugly Kings is heavy and dynamic. A blend of dark power blues, raw punk and metal rock. The music is different from anything you've heard in recent years. Besides, the band from Melbourne has stated that their models were Queens of The Stone Age and White Stripes. Listening to the LP, we can definitely make out these elements.

Beyond that though, they're not simply a copy of the above. The Ugly Kings are something new. To my ears, they have something of the style of early QotSA. That sound that marked the beginning of stoner rock, an era when none of us knew this would become the birth of something new. So don't be surprised if, some years down the line, we look back at The Ugly Kings and call them the force that gave birth to an entire new genre of music.

On the music

At last, we've reached the music and sound of ‘Strange, Strange Times’. What should we expect to hear? The Ugly Kings are masters of the alternative sound. In some wonderful way, the sound that comes out has power and intensity, without being excessively overdriven and distorted. There are points where it builds up. But never to excess, and always retaining excellent melodic elements.

Rhythm Section

Starting our analysis with the rhythm section, our first stop is the drums! For these we should thank Mr. Joel Martin. The key thing is that you can't predict what comes next. And Joel does his job right. Just when we feel the rhythm is simple and steady, there are dynamic crescendos that change the entire shape of the songs. And of course, we mustn't forget the feast of shadow beats. The rhythms of The Ugly Kings are full of shifts.

Next stop: the bass! Mr. Nicolas Dumont, you're on deck! The bass has a slightly distorted sound. It keeps the rhythm while having tremendous body. At the same time it highlights all those pauses and shifts in the drums. The rhythm section plays an important role in the tracks on ‘Strange, Strange Times’ and makes them stand out.

Guitars

On guitar we find Mr. Christos Athanasias. The guitar sounds are quite creamy and distorted. They're marked by a lot of body and intensity. But they have a melodic quality that isn't lost in the distortion. The riffs are catchy! They make you move to their rhythm. Beyond that, there are plenty of atmospheric solo bits in the background, as well as clean, acoustic bridges (like in ‘Do You Feel Like You're Paranoid?’). The role of the guitar sound is excellent. While it's fully distorted, it doesn't lose its clarity.

Vocals

The quartet is rounded out by Mr. Russell Clark on vocals. The frontman of The Ugly Kings has a clear English accent. His melodic lines are full of melody. At the same time, he shows he can raise the intensity when he pushes his performance to a peak. Finally, he gives a very distinctive colour to the songs on ‘Strange, Strange Times’. All this, while having many elements reminiscent of Jim Morrison. One of these is his tendency to add gospel elements (like in the intro of Lawman).

On the subject matter

The music on the record has a lot of dark elements. I close my eyes, and as I let it wander around the room, I catch myself thinking I'm in different places. Lawman , for example, takes me to wild west landscapes. Electric Lady is clearly more British in style. The mix of The Ugly Kings' music is the perfect blend of heavy sound and plenty of modern elements. Although the songs have lyrics with great meaning, the music in general tends to lean towards the dark side.

Editor's Choice: ‘Technodrone’ and ‘Do You Feel Like You're Paranoid?’

‘Strange, Strange Times’ is a small musical gem. Every track gives the listener a different feeling. One of the songs that will stick in your head is ‘Technodrone’. Its fast tempo has something of QotSA about it. Its sound is dynamic and the chorus is there to give you endless jumping around!

‘Can you tell me how am I supposed to feel
I'm losing sight of everything that's real’

And of course, I have a second track to recommend! Luckily I didn't get carried away, since there were others I could've suggested! ‘Do You Feel Like You're Paranoid’ starts with a dirty riff, while being full of beautifully placed pauses. Its sound is excellent and very hefty! At the same time it has something British about it. The chorus comes quite late in the song, but the wait is worth what you get to hear. Finally, as the acoustic bridge comes in, the song ramps up the intensity and delivers an outro with tremendous power.

‘I'm a truther born and bred
Don't believe a word you've said
You should know that my speech is for free’

In conclusion

An impressive record from The Ugly Kings. Full of many tracks we can't pin down to just one genre. It's clear the band loves experimenting, aiming to present something different. The vibe is quite dark, which reveals their influences from QotSA and White Stripes. On the other hand, I'll try to go a step further and say I also detect some more Brit elements. In tracks like ‘The Devil Comes With A Smile’ and ‘Electric Lady’ we can make out a lot of the style of bands like Arctic Monkeys.

The record makes us look forward eagerly not only to the next works of The Ugly Kings, but also to live performances (hopefully in Greece too). Until then though, our impressions are excellent and I could say that ‘Strange, Strange Times’ is my own personal Kryptonite! Well done boys!