King Dude : "Sex"

He is back this time with an album more focused on the subject it's titled with. This album so finds things continuing to change as there is often a great deal more drive due to the fact bass plays a much more prominent role in the songs. A new instrument to  Cowgill he bangs on it with the raw power of punk rock. There is a dark and decidedly more goth like feel to  "Who Taught You How to Love". The guitar tone on this song is awesome and the cadaverous croon summoned to tell this story is equally brilliant. The result is a raw Nick Cave like blues to his declaration that he wants to put himself between both of your legs on "I Wanna Die at 69". There is more of a neo-folk feel to "Our Love Will Carry On".

The biggest shift is into the harsher snarl of the vocals on "Sex Dungeon USA" which sounds like it could be from one of the Darkthrone albums during their black n roll punk period. The more post-punk like tension rolls in like a dark cloud over "Conflict & Climax" which turns out to be more of an instrumental interlude before the seedy carnival pulse of "the Leather One". If Tom Waits wrote a song while in a German leather bar the results might be similar. The return to garage punk takes place on "Swedish Boys Drum". This ode to Swedish boys is odd lyrically, and the song is at it's best when it takes on a more angular throb. The weirdness keeps gaining traction on "Prisoners". With ghostly female vocals floating in after a rapid almost rapped verse. It reminds me of  90's alternative so it works for me in the most bizarre manner possible.

There is a another weird take on 60's Pop with "the Girls". With sampled clapping interjected to make it sound like he is on the Ed Sullivan show. Here the weirdness finds a perfect balance with song writing when he are enveloped into the song. The vocal tone he takes reminds me a little of Psychic TV. The album ends with the wilting piano ballad "Shine Your Light". He might be mocking the traditional love song or he might be earnest, the lines are pretty blurred, though it feels like it's tongue and cheek done with a very straight face. Whatever the case it is not the albums strongest song and comes the closest to being filler. Over all this album has some strong enough moments for me to round this up to a 9.5. I think when he is sticking his black boots into the gothier waters the songs are at their peak and lose some of their focus when delving to far into the weirdness with the exception being "the Girls". Fans will finds something to love quite easily. This album comes out October 28th.