As I look back upon my various ruminations on music over the past few years, I realize that my quest for genre-less music was wrongheaded. Sure, it’s admirable and laudable to pull ideas and inspirations from a wide variety of sources. In fact, it’s hard not to do that in a world where we have access to more music than we can listen to in a lifetime. But it also misses the point.
In fact, many artists who attempt to be free-ranging polyglots typically falter on actual creation. They come across as people more interested in displaying their personal taste than making worthwhile art. I want to hear your ideas come to life, not watch you showcase your vinyl collection. Ambition and execution are much more important than ideas and dreams. You probably need all four of them, but you definitely need the former to fulfill the latter.
Which brings me to the music of King Garbage.
The duo’s brand new album, entitled Heavy Metal Greasy Love, veritably swims with a confluence of artistry and intentionality. Released on Ipecac, the nine-song project is the brainchild of two Grammy-nominated producers and friends, Zach Cooper and Vic Dimotsis. It features ample elements of grimy yet sultry R&B, dusty rock motifs, and skronky jazz fusion. It’s as if Memphis, Houston, and Detroit embraced the shared subtleties and strengths in their respective music histories.
Texture and mood drive the entire record, and it’s a glorious ride.
Slinky falsetto vocals draw you in with their overt sensuality. What holds your attention is the amalgamation of warm horns, jazz guitar fills, and syncopated drumming. At times, the snare sits so far back off the beat that it threatens to run afoul of the rimshot clatters and hi-hat slashes. Imagine The Dap-Kings, Booker T & the MGs, and Khruangbin combining forces with Miguel, Leon Bridges, and The Weeknd. The result is cinematic yet claustrophobic music.
“Let Em Talk” opens with deep low-end angst from the bass guitar and baritone sax that hits you right in your guts. However, when the vocals begin belting with urgency atop alto saxophone and trumpet bleats, King Garbage sends you into a new dimension. “Busy On a Saturday Night” kicks off with swinging jazz guitar riffs that ooze sensuality while hushed drums support mellow crooning. When the chorus drops, the tempo picks up to a keen andante that imagines the singer striding purposefully down the street.
The true standout track on the album is “Monster Truck.”
It’s a sexy ode to long stretches of highway, diesel trucks, and powerful connections with a lover. Pulsing with ribald passion but palpable sincerity, he’s in love with this woman, and he has to tell you about it. “Peanut Butter Kisses” draws the project to a close, and it’s a classic soul tune, right down to the dreamy mood, hushed accompaniment, and sly references to sex.
Heavy Metal Greasy Love is quest for future fulfillment, even while it basks in the hedonism of the present. When compare your relationship to a woman capably driving a monster truck, you’ve made the specific choice to avoid nuance. It celebrates consensual sex that’s definitely not vanilla, and the gritty production aesthetic provides a delicious edge without sliding into tawdry cliche.
King Garbage luxuriates in the wide gaze, while still keeping a sharp focus.
Cooper and Dimotsis want you to see everything that’s happening even as you concentrate on the object of your desires. The pacing is percussive, yet fluid, rhythmic, yet earnest. These songs ooze a barely controlled frenzy as they probe for resolution through swirls of spectral sound effects. They invite the listener along for what promises to be a wild and multi-layered ride.
So maybe that’s the point. When you choose to create art that tips its cap to multiple influences, you must make clear decisions. You can’t simply throw everything into a giant pot and hope the flavors blend together like magic. It takes having a vision and pursuing a specific direction so you can use your ideas to make an album that matters.