You may have heard them on Jackass, as the drummer (Jess Margera) is in some way related to Jackass star Bam Margera. Brothers or something, can't remember.
Otherwise, its unlikely you would have stumbled across them. This is their very first British release, and even now it is lying dormant at the back of the metal section. However, i did notice that the recently plentiful supply of cKy albums in HMV had been readily snapped up, so there is obviously an audience over here (N!).
Diving straight into the first track, there is one hell of a catchy riff, which i have to warn you, WILL stick in your head. The song is about a small town out in the sticks called "Hellview", the home of the aforementioned number of bitter beings. Its really very spooky, and could easily be the setting for a Scooby-Doo episode ("Jinkies! its not that very suspicious looking character we saw scaring people away from the abandoned amusement arcade! It's Jess Margera! Zoinks!").
Very class intro to cKy, 9/10
Straight after this, there is an unfortunate dip in quality. Im not sure exactly what this is about, but it seems to be slagging off the country folk etc. The appear to have something against rednecks. Fair enough. Slow, deliberate, blagh, 5/10
I like this one. As bright and sincere as the album gets, its all about personal victory ad fighting the system. There is a great meandering riff to go, and the general effect is pretty nice, not just for a metal band, but generally. There's a very Less Than Jakey ending moral, "but the worst is never first, and there's a person who'll set you straight". Nice, 10/10
Odd. Starts off with some 70's funk bass, then into a real clap-along chorus, with the ever-present high pitched strings keeping in with the sinister tone. It is a kind of anti-mass-media protest, "you'll be fictionized" being the warning of the dangers of being sucked in. Makes a fair point without being preachy, 7/10
Owes a lot to NIN. I can't remember the exact song, but the bass/drum beat and electronic ambiance (and, wierdly, a mandolin) give it a very creepy feel. Becomes quieter towards the end, which i think is his escape from the 'machine', "The sun will shine", and his personal victory or whatever is pretty well represented by the music. Continuing the anti-system theme, 8/10
Only one verse throughout: "Some people don't know, Don't know what is wrong So they're knee deep Knee deep in sorrow". Its a pretty simple message, and there's a fairly uncomplicated tune to go with it, but it all sounds sincere and really quite heartfelt. Fair enough, 7/10
promiscuous (adj). having or being characterized by many transient sexual relationships. In this case, the story of a guy who finds his daughter "giving head to his brother". The story goes that they were thinking up the grossest thing possible, and came up with this. Pretty everyday by redneck standards though. A nice break from the protest stuff, 6/10
Much more sincere. The story of a girl, who has chronic problems with her appearance, "is it your face that's got you down?" Very quiet and even soothing in places, and deals with a lot of issues, like dreams, depression, superficiality and suicide. It just goes on too long though. Very good, pretty deep too, 8/10
Like it. Distorted chord patterns, and almost whispered lyrics, with an eerie echo to go, and another mirror reference continues the theme, and is a great summing up track, and possibly one of the best. Asking questions is the album's strength, and this track does it so well. Superb, 9/10
Located at around 19:30 on the last track, in case you want to find it.If you don't, no biggie. It's kinda relaxing, and worth the wait. Haven't a baldy notion what the words are, but im sure its very deep and meaningful. :s 7/10
