Sunday, 16 April 2023

King Black Acid - The Rainbow Lodge

 

I've been waiting to tell you about this for a while, so its over to Portland Oregon and King Black Acid. King Black Acid is essentially Daniel Riddle with a fine selection of collaborators and though they may be new to many, they aren't actually at new at all. 

King Black Acid's debut album was in 1995 with Womb Star Session and three albums followed with Loves A Love Song ending the run in 2000. After being active in various guises, particularly film soundtracks, Riddle revived King Black Acid with the 2017 wonder that is Super Beautiful Magic. 

Six years on, we get the sixth album and the results are astounding. I suppose you would term The Rainbow Lodge, Indie Rock, but that would only be to give it a base, because this melodic extravaganza takes in Space Rock, Classic Rock, Neo Psych, Glam Rock and much more. You are in for a treat.



The biggest attention will be aimed at the recent single, Caterpillar Queen, with its Glam overtones and rightly so. It has the joy of say Ulysses, maybe without the wit, but with much more in it and adds a lovely string ending.

But to focus on that would be disrespectful to the quality elsewhere. Don't Want My Life To Be Like That is very Brit Pop (I know, I know, but it is) with overtones of a rockier Dodgy and the horn intro is reminiscent of Northern Uproar or The Boo Radleys in Wake Up Boo mode and then there's the outro.

Dreamers Ballad is splendid 70s Pop Rock with Space Rock instrumental hints, all at a frantic pace. The solo that opens In Love For The Last Time is all Flares and Butterfly Collars and the good news is that the riff returns. If anything, it is a little in the realm of The Darkness.



Fire On Gasoline is built on a heavier riff then explodes into a big AOR chorus. Yet, I'm The Dangerous Type is built around a quirky groove. I Wanna Get You High is more 80s with its synth runs and its all together now chorus.

Kissed At The Cemetery is the song that contains the most, constant chopping and changing, the nearest King Black Acid get to straight ahead Pop with its electronic drum beat. Throughout the album there are so many hooks.

The Rainbow Lodge is much different to those experimental 90s in that this album is much more commercial. However to produce an album as good as this 28 years on deserves massive applause. This is proper Melodic Rock with not a cliche in sight. Absolutely Wonderful!



You can listen to and buy the album here. You really should!


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