For a hip, modern boy, Louis XIV's Jason Hill has plenty of old school rock star attitude. On his San Diego trio's debut album he declares himself a "weapon of mass destruction" and then backs it up with salacious come-ons meant to offend as they intrigue ("I know you want a strangle / Or a mouthful of gasoline / Or to be tied up and stoned"). Lyrical allusions to T. Rex and the Kinks tell only part of Louis XIV's actual musical journey. Hill may fancy Marc Bolan and Ray Davies as elegant dandies, and occasionally borrow their lightweight shuffles to great effect. However, his own proper terrain is the thorny inquisition of the Fall's Mark E. Smith. Here, his band throttles in kind, motoring a cantankerous rhythm section that's every bit as vicious as fellow modern day malcontents the Libertines or White Stripes. --Jaan Uhelszki
Product Description
The San Diego-based combo's eagerly anticipated new album The Best Little Secrets Are Kept is a uniquely magnificent collection that's truly fit for a king. The brainchild of musician/producer Jason Hill along with Brian Karscig, Mark Maigaard, & Jimmy Armbrust, Louis XIV have already drawn acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic with their inventive melange of royally raucous riffs and big bawdy beats. *Parental Advisory for Artwork Only-Not for Musical Content*
The Best Little Secrets Are Kept,Louis XIV,Atlantic / Wea,Garage Punk,Indie Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop
The Best Little Secrets Are Kept [Explicit Lyrics]
Average customer rating:
|
The Best Little Secrets Are Kept
Louis XIV Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0007QS4TQ Release Date: 2005-03-22 |
Tracks:
- Louis XIV
- Finding Out True Love Is Blind
- Paper Doll
- God Killed the Queen
- A Letter to Dominique
- Illegal Tender
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Hey Teacher
- All the Little Pieces
- Ball of Twine
Amazon.com
For a hip, modern boy, Louis XIV's Jason Hill has plenty of old school rock star attitude. On his San Diego trio's debut album he declares himself a "weapon of mass destruction" and then backs it up with salacious come-ons meant to offend as they intrigue ("I know you want a strangle / Or a mouthful of gasoline / Or to be tied up and stoned"). Lyrical allusions to T. Rex and the Kinks tell only part of Louis XIV's actual musical journey. Hill may fancy Marc Bolan and Ray Davies as elegant dandies, and occasionally borrow their lightweight shuffles to great effect. However, his own proper terrain is the thorny inquisition of the Fall's Mark E. Smith. Here, his band throttles in kind, motoring a cantankerous rhythm section that's every bit as vicious as fellow modern day malcontents the Libertines or White Stripes. --Jaan UhelszkiAlbum Description
The San Diego-based combo's eagerly anticipated new album The Best Little Secrets Are Kept is a uniquely magnificent collection that's truly fit for a king. The brainchild of musician/producer Jason Hill along with Brian Karscig, Mark Maigaard, & Jimmy Armbrust, Louis XIV have already drawn acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic with their inventive melange of royally raucous riffs and big bawdy beats. *Parental Advisory for Artwork Only-Not for Musical Content*Customer Reviews:
ugh.......2007-06-13
Was the Sun King really this horny?.......2007-04-13
The first eight songs troll through a garagey, Brit-poppy aesthetic, as has now been mentioned a million and one times when describing this album, and every step along the way is catchy as hell. But I contend this is more of concept album than people realize.
While the cheap come-on lines are sure to offend feminists and prudes, the final couplet of All the Little Pieces and Ball of Twine go in a completely different direction from the first eight tracks, the former substituting the trashy guitars (which come to the fore on True Love, God Killed the Queen and Illegal Tender) for symphonic sweeps and the latter adding plaintive acoustic guitar that morphs into the string melody that opens the album.
Not that the lyrics carry the weight of Pink Floyd or Bright Eyes, but Louis XIV through to Hey Teacher seem to be about an undersexed guy fresh off a breakup looking to plug whatever holes are out there. Our hero has his fun with vanilla friends, illegal tenders, kinky seductresses and sultry schoolteachers, but the delicate focus found on All the Little Pieces and Ball of Twine seemingly indicate that kind of fun only lasts so long and that our narrator would like nothing more than to retreat to the life he left behind.
Of course, I could be wrong, and the storyline on this album isn't the point. The point is every track, whether it be one of the hang-out-with-the-wang-out rockers or one of the gentler interludes, is purely fantastic. I'm still taking this one off the shelf on a semi-weekly basis because it's that good.
Louis XXX.......2007-03-28
Nah, it's not bad. In fact, it's just what it wants to be: sleazy glam-rock riffs sandwiched between raunchy rhythms. No one's trying to do anything new here, that's for certain, and you'll see shadows of other, better bands (the comparisons have been made to death elsewhere; I won't go into it) dancing behind the notes.
Taken for something profound or even intriguing, "Secrets" is sure to be a disappointment. But if, like the greaseballs who populate this band (not an insult -- they LOVE being greaseballs), all you want is some grimy, groin-grabbing goof-rock, this is your ticket in the door.
Louis XIV.......2007-02-07
Doesn't get much better that this..........2006-12-18
And for those sensitive souls who complain about the lyrics, "if you want clean fun, go fly a kite."
Average customer rating:
|
The Best Little Secrets Are Kept
Louis XIV Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0007QCLSQ Release Date: 2005-03-22 |
Tracks:
- Louis XIV
- Finding Out True Love Is Blind
- Paper Doll
- God Killed the Queen
- A Letter to Dominique
- Illegal Tender
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Hey Teacher
- All the Little Pieces
- Ball of Twine
Album Description
The San Diego-based combo's eagerly anticipated new album The Best Little Secrets Are Kept is a uniquely magnificent collection that's truly fit for a king. The brainchild of musician/producer Jason Hill along with Brian Karscig, Mark Maigaard, & Jimmy Armbrust, Louis XIV have already drawn acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic with their inventive melange of royally raucous riffs and big bawdy beats.Customer Reviews:
faux brits.......2005-08-23
Weaopon of mass destruction.......2005-05-07
A slow, ominous violin solo starts off the album, but there the classical influence ends -- from there on, it's just rock. Suddenly angular guitars kick in, and Jason Hill starts announcing that he is a "weapon of mass destruction," in an insolent monotone that sounds like it's been filtered through a radio.
Similarly spiky rock songs follow, with lots of heavy rhythms and vocals that range from sensitive quavers to yowls. Louis XIV is at its best in these songs, which strip down garage rock to its bones, the blast of bass and electric guitar, with some wicked rhythm.
But they also have a knack for retroglam, as evidenced by the marvelous "Letter to Dominique." They're somewhat less successful in the few slow songs, such as the expansive ballad "All The Little Pieces." Piano-and-strings lo-fi just won't catch on, I'm afraid, guys. The rough sound won't catch the nuances of the song.
When a band is named after the Sun King, you'd expect a less than humble approach. But these guys don't seem to consider themselves the next best thing to God, just a rough-edged, sexy garage band. Some songs end with murmured conversations, random strums and footsteps. It sounds like they forgot to turn the mike off -- and that lack of polish and pretension is great.
The lyrics are basically about one thing -- sex. Sex sex sex, and surprisingly it comes across as roguish and laddish instead of obnoxious. "Let me buy ya a lollipop you wanna lick," Hill purrs. "You don't need to take a shower if you wanna get wet!" Hello, double and triple entendres.
Hill is absolutely marvelous as a rock vocalist, but sounds rather high-pitched and nervy in "All The Little Pieces." The rest of the time, he sounds like a raging rock lothario with a seductively gravelly voice. Sound-wise, they are deeply stripped down -- mostly electric guitar and drums, with some bass and the odd bits of violin thrown in. That's it.
Rough, raw and sexy, "The Best Little Secrets Are Kept" is a delicious treat for rock fans disenchanted by pretty-boys and trendy pop.
Average customer rating: |
The Best Little Secrets Are Kept
Louis XIV Manufacturer: Wea/Warner ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0009OAS0E Release Date: 2005-07-04 |
Tracks:
- Louis XIV
- Finding Out True Love Is Blind
- Paper Doll
- God Killed the Queen
- Letter to Dominique
- Illegal Tender
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Hey Teacher
- All the Little Pieces
- Ball of Twine
Album Description
Japanese pressing is scheduled to include 2 exclusive bonus tracks. Deatails TBA. Atlantic. 2005.Album Details
Bonus Tracks Are "Every which Way that I Can" and "Luv Striken Fellonew".
Average customer rating:
|
Best Little Secrets Are Kept
Louis XIV Manufacturer: Atlantic Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000BCE73I Release Date: 2005-10-11 |
Album Description
This album, Best Little Secrets Are Kept, from the San-Diego based band whose rapier wit and gift for killer hooks insure their place in the hierarchy of modern rock 'n' roll includes the singles 'God Killed The Queen' & 'Finding Out True Love Is Blind' plus the previously released EP recordings 'Louis XIV' & 'Illegal Tender'. As a bonus, also included is a 7 inch with the 2 tracks 'More Than Bombs' & 'Letter To Dominique'. Atlantic. 2005.Customer Reviews:
Weapon of mass destruction.......2005-12-27
A slow, ominous violin solo starts off the album, but there the classical influence ends -- from there on, it's just rock. Suddenly angular guitars kick in, and Jason Hill starts announcing that he is a "weapon of mass destruction," in an insolent monotone that sounds like it's been filtered through a radio.
Similarly spiky rock songs follow, with lots of heavy rhythms and vocals that range from sensitive quavers to yowls. Louis XIV is at its best in these songs, which strip down garage rock to its bones, the blast of bass and electric guitar, with some wicked rhythm.
But they also have a knack for retroglam, as evidenced by the marvelous "Letter to Dominique." They're somewhat less successful in the few slow songs, such as the expansive ballad "All The Little Pieces." Piano-and-strings lo-fi just won't catch on, I'm afraid, guys. The rough sound won't catch the nuances of the song.
When a band is named after the Sun King, you'd expect a less than humble approach. But these guys don't seem to consider themselves the next best thing to God, just a rough-edged, sexy garage band. Some songs end with murmured conversations, random strums and footsteps. It sounds like they forgot to turn the mike off -- and that lack of polish and pretension is great.
The lyrics are basically about one thing -- sex. Sex sex sex, and surprisingly it comes across as roguish and laddish instead of obnoxious. "Let me buy ya a lollipop you wanna lick," Hill purrs. "You don't need to take a shower if you wanna get wet!" Hello, double and triple entendres.
Hill is absolutely marvelous as a rock vocalist, but sounds rather high-pitched and nervy in "All The Little Pieces." The rest of the time, he sounds like a raging rock lothario with a seductively gravelly voice. Sound-wise, they are deeply stripped down -- mostly electric guitar and drums, with some bass and the odd bits of violin thrown in. That's it.
Rough, raw and sexy, "The Best Little Secrets Are Kept" is a delicious treat for rock fans disenchanted by pretty-boys and trendy pop.
Rap Music:
- The Dan Band Live [Live]
- The Dirty South
- The Mirror Pool
- The Second Stage Turbine Blade
- The Sunset Tree
- The Vanity Project
- The Wind
- The Yes Album [Original recording remastered]
- The Young and Hopeless
- TheFutureEmbrace
Recommended Music:
Original Carolina Beach Music : Summer Love
Stravinsky: Petrushka; Le sacre du printemps [Import]
Music: Classical Treasures: Maple Leaf Rag
Straight from the Dec [Explicit Lyrics]
The Very Best of Born Again Records
Tempo de Amor: Songs By Baden Powell [EP]
Serie de Oro: Grandes Exitos [Import]
The Last Great Rockabilly Saturday Night, Vol. 2