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Balance & The Exchange of Energy

3/22/2013

I think a lot about balance in our lives and the possible ways to achieve it. I'm no expert in any sort of way except that-like many of you, most likely-I've worked hard much of my life to accomplish this great task, and have learned a few tricks along the way.

I like to imagine our lives as a pendulum-when the shiny balls are at rest, I am at rest-I've found that balance if only temporary. It never takes long, however, for the pendulum to get set into motion again, and the little roller coaster ride begins all over again. There was a time I thought this was a bad thing-that I still hadn't learned balance. I thought that if I'd really "mastered" this balance that the shiny balls would always just stay at rest-or very close to at rest-and would never swing that high in either direction.

But then one day, I thought about the work of an artist (I am a musician, for those that don't know), and how much of that art comes as the direct result of a very active pendulum-all the way up on one side, down quickly, then high up on the other side. Somehow something "clicked" inside me, and I became aware that there was some sort of energy that came from this pendulum swing-a creative energy. And though I hesitated to call this erratic shift a "good thing," there was no question it was at the very least a constructive thing and quite useful if one wishes to be artistically productive.

I also noticed that if the pendulum is placed on a sturdy, level surface, the shiny ball in the center never actually moves-it simply takes the energy from the two shiny balls on one side and transfers it to the two shiny balls on the other side. This seemed important to me. It was then I began considering what "balance" in our lives really means-that it doesn't necessarily mean all the shiny balls are at rest-only the one in the middle.

Perhaps both sets of shiny balls on either side of the motionless one in the center could be thought of as light and dark, good and evil, depression and mania, love and hate, or any other sorts of opposites we confront in life. At the risk of sounding "cheesy" I couldn't help but think of the Star Wars philosophy of "balance in the force."

What I ended up discovering even later in life, which many of you on Twitter have heard me say, is that love is an energy exchange-it truly is. We all experience various trials in our lives, and sometimes we share them with others, sometimes we absorb them from others. Sometimes that process of sharing or absorbing them harms us, sometimes it heals us-there are no guarantees when it comes to human interaction one way or the other. The constant we seem to have-if we'll choose to make it our focal point-is that shiny ball in the middle. Call it Love, call it one's heart, one's spirit, soul, or even God or what have you-but it seems to me that's the only one we truly have to concern ourselves with. As long as that shiny ball in the middle stays motionless, everything's gonna be okay-that's how I feel nowadays.

That was very good news for this empathic musician the world has decided to call "Kev." It didn't take me long to realize that keeping that shiny ball in the middle at rest was a very simple thing-in fact one needs do nothing at all to keep it there, other than to keep that pendulum we call "life" rested upon a sturdy, level surface. Perhaps that sturdy, level surface is love itself; the very thing (and maybe the ONLY thing) all religions, philosophies, and belief systems seem to have in common as a good, proper, and necessary thing.

I no longer concern myself with the shiny balls on either side of the motionless center: as the highs and lows enter my life in various forms, I will find ways to funnel those emotions into creative & constructive outlets (such as this spontaneous blog, for instance). I will find joy in knowing that the natural state of the shiny ball in the center is to be at rest, that it needs no effort on my part to stay there. As was said in a famous rock song "...roll with the punches and get to what's real." (I'll let you google that for yourselves if you need to, though I'm hoping many of you will hear the song in your head right away).

Thank you all always and again for your amazing love and support!

Kev
oxox

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The Great Gig In the Digital Sky

3/16/2013

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Tonight's blog is directed toward fellow musicians, though I hope some non-musicians can enjoy some of its content as well (and, of course, comments & thoughts are welcome from all!):

It occurs to me tonight that social networking for musicians might not be all that different from playing a gig, and that musicians might even find it helpful to think of it as such. Allow me to elaborate...

There are more social networking outlets than I could ever name, but I'm going to use Twitter as my example since it's the one I use 97% of the time, and the format I'm most familiar with.

Let's say you have a band, are on Twitter, and are attempting to spread the word about your awesome music to the masses. You want your Twitter followers, of course, to know who you are, that you make music, and that if they'd only give it a listen they'd enjoy at least some of it. Fair enough. But what are you really telling your fans via your Twitter stream? Are you introducing yourself, meeting people, engaging them, or are you just posting links? (be honest with yourself, and stop here for a moment to scroll through your last several tweets). Let's liken this to a gig:

How do you approach your audience at a live show? If your experience is similar to mine, you do much more than just play songs while on stage-you would begin the show by telling the audience who you are, and thank them for taking the time to be there. At some point you'd likely thank the club for having you, and remind the audience to take care of the servers that are taking care of them. You might pause between songs to either give the listeners a bit of back story behind the song you're about to play, or acknowledge some special guests that are in the audience. Those "special guests" could be friends, family, someone who loaned you equipment, provided food, or just showed you a nice time while you were in their town. You might even, at times, stop in the middle of a song, and encourage the audience to sing a song with you. Above all, you're hoping to have fun as you play the gig, and you want the audience to have a nice time too. I'm hoping most of my fellow musician friends can relate so far.

Now re-read that last paragraph and try and apply that to your social networking sites. If you're only posting links, that's the same thing (in my opinion) as going onstage unannounced, playing several songs with no breaks, then turning around and walking off the stage without saying anything to anyone. If you did this, you'd notice your audience was much smaller at the end of the show than it was when it started. Even on the off-chance that your music was so amazing that people stuck around, they'd leave the show not knowing the name of your band or anything about you other than you have some cool songs. Imagine them trying to tell their friends about your fabulous band the next day:

"Dude I saw the most amazing band last night-they totally rocked!"

"Sweet, who were they?"

"I don't know their name, they never said anything-they just started playing and it was awesome"

"Are they local?"

"I don't know-like I said, they didn't say anything-one of the dudes looked kinda familiar"

Anyway, I think you get my point by now. Even if it's not a perfect analogy or entirely true, I think it would serve a musician well to think of their social networking presence as a "gig." If you want your potential audience to give two craps about what you're doing-even so much that they'd tell others about you-you'd best let them know who you are and show some gratitude to the various people that make such a performance possible. As I've said for many years, being a talented musician and having some good songs isn't enough: never has been, never will be. Image matters whether or not you choose to believe it, and the way you carry yourself affects the way people respond to your music. Whatever your social networking site of choice, you're going to have to do more than post links.

Hope this makes some sense to some of you. Thank you for taking time to share my microcosm with me.

Kev
oxox

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Words & Music: The Merger

3/11/2013

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Something that seems to surprise a lot of people when I tell them is that music was not my first artistic love, nor did it come naturally to me. Writing-poetry, short stories, etc-is what seemed to come naturally to me, and was really my first creative passion. My father was a musician and tried to get me into music at a young age, but I was busy at that time with my action figures and Matchbox cars, and had no interest.

I sort of fell back on music when I was 13 years old, while trying to figure out a better way to "fit in" with other kids at school and maybe even become a little popular. I remember approaching my dad and telling him I was ready to learn how to play guitar now. He pointed me to the dusty acoustic guitar that had been in my closet since I was 5, and set me up with a Mel Bay book. I learned to play things like "Old McDonald Had A Farm" and "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star," and even with those simple single-note exercises, I struggled mightily with my timing. I understood the concept of whole, half, and quarter notes no problem, but couldn't tap my foot properly (as my dad had shown me to do) as I played the songs.

To this day, timing is not a strength of mine, though I continue to improve more and more with each song we write and record. I also was not melodically inclined-that part of my repertoire didn't really come about until my early 30's, as I spent most of my teens and 20's learning how to shred like Ywngie Malmsteen, and play the blues like Muddy Waters (not that I succeeded in that mind you, but that seemed to be the general goal). My melodic deficiencies were overcome mostly by patience and listening to tons of music-and opening myself up to the concept that the song itself is what really mattered-not showing off my personal skill. I started to listen to music I would never have listened to in my youth, and started paying attention to patterns and how these songs were structured.

Learning about song structure and melody was all very mathematical for me initially-hardly a creative process at all. I'd pick random CD's from my collection and play them all the way through, trying to count the measures and jot down on paper how many measures made up different parts of the song (intro, verse, bridge, chorus, etc), and noted how these structures changed for different types of music.

At some point in my ongoing quest, my affinity for-and natural inclination toward-literature and the writing of words gelled with the musical skills I had slowly refined over time, and a bit of creative magic starting flowing. This was many years before Atomic Honey was born, or even my last band Pitfall (for whom I did a large amount of the songwriting). Even to this day, I'm more inclined to write a poem, short story, or journal entry than I am to write a song-I know this may sound strange to some of you, but it's the truth. You may have guessed by now that many of our songs (I write them all) have stemmed from writings that were never intended to be songs.

My point in all this is that I overcame weaknesses through hard work, dedication, and an open mind, and learned how to merge my learned skills with my natural inclinations. I believe this is something all of us can and should do with our lives. I believe we're creative beings-intended to create things. No one should ever tell themselves "I'm just not artistic," and use that as an excuse to not pursue any sort of creative endeavor that person might enjoy. You don't have to be good at something in order to learn how to do it (kinda defeats the purpose of learning, huh?)-all you need is some patience and dedication. If you work at it long enough, you'll develop a sincere passion for your activity, your learned skills and natural creative inclinations will merge, and you'll someday be making awesome and fabulous art in its truest sense. Always believe in yourself, and never be afraid of failing.

Thank you all for amazing love and support, and have a great week ahead.
Kev
oxox

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Babies, Pets, & the New Celebrity

3/6/2013

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After getting my hands on The Cult's latest album "Choice Of Weapon" a few weeks ago (which is fabulous by the way-I'll be doing a review of it in the near future), I started looking into interviews and reviews of it-most of what I found were with Ian Astbury (singer & primary songwriter for The Cult for the few who don't know).

Ian Astbury's always fascinated me and he always seems to have something intelligent to say. In one of the interviews I found with him, he made an interesting statement about fame nowadays; how it's affected by the internet-especially on YouTube. He said that Warhol's theory of fame being 15 minutes long no longer applies (I'm paraphrasing here), that fame is actually 1:28 minutes long now (I DO remember that specific number for some strange reason). He went on to say that current artists are now competing with things like "kitty flying an airplane" and "cute babies."

Though this should have been obvious to me a long time ago, I just never happened to really think about this. I've often thought about how the line is blurring between those we've considered celebrities over the years, and those whose names we don't know but seem more popular than many names we DO know. I never quite connected the dots like Ian Astbury did so eloquently in his interview (which is why he's Ian Astbury, and I'm not, I guess).

After hearing Ian's statements, I started thinking that perhaps we're all unknowingly in the process of redefining the term "celebrity." How DO we define one, by the way? Surely someone with 1.5 million Twitter followers must be a celebrity-but so many fall into that category and we don't know their names or even what they "DO." Someone with 5 million hits on their YouTube vid HAS to be a celebrity, right? Heck, it might not even be a person-or a living organism. As an example, I love YouTube vids of talking ravens and cool stuff done with Lego's. I don't know the names of the people who make and/or upload these vids-I only know I enjoy watching them. Oh, there are some awesome ones too I enjoy of a dude who does prank calls using hand puppets of Sesame St characters and imitates their voices on the phone (The Count calling an Asian restaurant is one of my faves)-again I don't know the dude's name or what he does for a living-I doubt he's getting paid for calling people with his hand puppets.

Anyhoo, this was quite a revelation for little ole narcissistic me-we're not competing against the industry as independent artists, we're competing against gratification of the most instant kind-on many thick levels. How are we going to get people to watch our videos and listen to our songs when they have so many kittens, babies, Lego's, and talking ravens to watch? I haven't made it far enough along in this thought process to offer any answers, and a part of me is thinking maybe there simply aren't any. Perhaps the age of the "celebrity" as we understood it is dying a quick and painless death. Thoughts and opinions are most welcome!

Kev
oxox

#AtomicLove

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Words & Music: Communication

2/15/2013

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Many of you are familiar with my spiritual connection with Andrew Wood, late singer/primary songwriter for Mother Love Bone and Malfunkshun; even more of you would consider it an obsession-which, it is admittedly that as well. I know also that even mentioning a spiritual connection to someone who died nearly 23 years ago makes many people uncomfortable.

I'm not posting this blog to convince the reader of anything in particular, nor to offer comfort to those I've made uncomfortable. In this posting, I hope simply to share some of the things I've learned as an artist since my spiritual connection with Andrew Wood began (spring of 2011) that fellow artists-especially musicians-might find useful. I've been writing and recording songs since 1990 and have learned a lot over the years; but somehow the spirit of Andrew Wood came into my life a couple years ago and I've learned much more since: it seemed improper to me to not credit him with some of the things that help me as an artist & primary songwriter for Atomic Honey, and also felt I should pass some of these things along. Take what's useful out of it and ditch the rest as you see fit:

First off, if you're a true artist, your art is your primary form of communication with the rest of the world: for me, they are words and music-but this would apply just the same to a painter, sculptor, digital artist, etc. As an artist, you're likely to observe and perceive the world in your own peculiar way which is sometimes hard to describe to others around you-and describing it to others without creeping them out is an even greater task. An artist will find that creating art is the best way to share the things inside them, whether thoughts, emotions, perspectives, what have you.

When I write a song, it affords me the luxury of obscuring things a bit: generalizing it so that people from many walks of life can relate to it, sharing some parts of my deep inner self with the world while leaving other parts safely guarded. I always know that I can "speak" freely in songs I write because the listener will never know which parts are from my own perspective and those that are from another's-even those close to me. If I choose to include something biographical in a song (which I sometimes do), only the person/s I've told that story to will pick up on the reference, which makes it very easy to make songs for certain people. Also, though, if the words are generalized enough, the listener will be able to associate them with some part of their own personal experiences and give them a feeling that someone else understands them. In my opinion, this is communication at its best-something everyday conversation simply doesn't allow for most of the time. This is also why, I believe, that music is so universal-why all cultures throughout history have a form of it-it's really right up there with religion.

This is why, as some of you have seen on Twitter, I rant a lot about artistic freedom-especially as it pertains to the music industry. The purity of the art is precisely what makes it a most effective form of communication, a way of bringing people together in a world that could use more of that. If the artist's motive becomes primarily fiscal, there's a great danger that the communication can become ineffective, and possibly even cease to be "art" in its true sense. I think you can see where this is going when you stop to think that the industry is made up of millions of people worldwide that simply need to provide for their families-from the top executives to the dude that mops the floors at night. The industry is not evil-it's a business-which means they have to turn a profit. So what do we do?

In my opinion, it's very simple: we make music-from our HEART and we interact with our fans. At some point the industry has to become convinced that they'd make more money discovering artists than they do creating them-the weight is on OUR shoulders and those like us-not the labels. For every amazing band we fans have discovered due to the industry, a dozen have been destroyed by them that we've never heard of-this is a fact, and the blame is not all theirs. As all other people in the world, we artists have to provide for our families-but there's nothing that says the income has to come from our art-if you have to maintain a day job, there's nothing wrong with that. Regardless of what your mind tells you, you are NOT entitled to get paid for your art-it has to be earned-and it's usually slowly over time. When we can start creating art that is obviously superior to what the industry's pushing on us, the industry will bend-the fans will demand it with their wallets.

We artists must get back to making art simply because we HAVE to-because it's in us and we have to share-we have to communicate with others and find a way to bring people together-the industry cannot do this for us. Stop trying to find ways to pay your bills without working a day job, and seek to share your heart with the world. No matter how many hours you work at another job each week-if you're an artist, you'll make time to create art because you have to-it'll just flow, it'll take care of itself. Seek to make music worthy of your fans' admiration, and never turn your back on them-never stop making pure art.

This is what I believe my beloved Andrew Wood accomplished before the world lost him at the tender age of 24: he started a fire that will never stop burning: He called it "Love Rock" and we also apply this term to our music in the sincere hope that we'll carry on a legacy began so long ago. I hope that some of these words sink in with those that need to hear this, that some of you will join us, and that together we'll shape the industry for generations to come. #LoveRockPrevails

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Soundgarden's King Animal Part 1

1/28/2013

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Before I get into my commentary on Soundgarden's recent release, King Animal, I want to preface it by saying that I'm not what you'd consider a huge fan of Soundgarden, and know little about their background and biography. I own their albums Badmotorfinger and Superunknown and love some of their songs.

At the time of writing this, I've listened to King Animal all the way through probably 12-15 times. I've quite intentionally taken a long time to comment on it, as well as carefully avoiding any other commentary or info about the album. I wanted to be cautious & unbiased with this album for multiple reasons:

1.When a band goes that many years between releases (16 in this case) I'm always a bit hesitant-even skeptical. Being
a musician myself-but especially as a huge music FAN-I've seen far too many "reunions" for the wrong reasons.

2.I didn't want to be affected by the hype surrounding the release of King Animal, knowing well many of my friends have
been anxiously awaiting its arrival. (I didn't want to just say "This is a great album" because we've waited so long)

3.I didn't want to let the fact that I'm not a huge Soundgarden fan cause me to unjustly criticize it or take away
aspects of its "specialness" I knew it would have for so many others.

Okay, those are my disclaimers; on with my review:

General Album Notes
It takes all of 7 seconds to realize this album was made by a band on a mission-it's clear they made it because they had something to say, not because it was "time to make an album." I was very thankful for this, of course. I get strong personal visuals from this album from start to finish and have sort of woven those into a story-only as I see it (don't forget I'm a sci-fi/fantasy geek at heart)-not saying Soungarden or any of its members intended it that way. I see the album broken into 3 parts (4 songs each) with the last track being sort of an epilogue (I'll explain more about this later).

I was most impressed by how their influences shine through clearly throughout the album, and how they've redefined themselves while still maintaining their identity that made them who they were: they've grown up but not forgotten where they came from; they've softened (not necessarily musically, but as people) but not lost their edge. This is an album that grows on me more with each listen-and it grows warmer. Songs that didn't "reach" me initially worked their way into my imaginary story as time went on, and now I can hardly listen to this album without listening to it in its entirety-this would be perfect to have on vinyl, btw (note to self).

One of the things I feared before listening to this album for the first time was that it would be overproduced. Happily it was actually a little under-produced at times-and this is no flaw! There's just enough "rawness" in the production to let us "feel" their energy & emotions. I honestly can't think of a single thing they could have done differently production-wise that would have made it better. On early listens I found the vocals a bit under-produced at times and wondered whether they were trying to disguise limitations of Cornell's voice (he IS getting older you know). On later listens, however, I realized that the vocals were produced perfectly for this particular album, and whether or not Cornell was dealing with limitations is irrelevant to the album.

Finally, before getting on with a track-by-track review, I'll add that this is clearly an album BY empaths FOR empaths. (If you're confused by the term "empath" CLICK THIS )

Section 1-Departure From The Mountain & A Call To Arms (Tracks 1-4)

1.Been Away Too Long
Soundgarden could not have chosen a better song to start the album with-it punches you in the cheekbone immediately and all but commands you to listen to the rest of the album-you know right off that you've passed the point of no return. I'm sure the irony of the opening track's title isn't lost on those so anxiously awaiting the album's release, and I think there's a good chance it wasn't lost on the band either. Visually, I see a huge black warhorse (armor, flaring nostrils and all) behind an iron gate that's just been lifted, and it speeds out of there in a cloud of dust, and down the mountain. The overdue journey has begun.

2.Non-State Actor*
The intensity of track 1 continues, Cornell's opening scream is perfectly under-produced: he's angry, but in a rationally divine way. Things are really jacked-up in many ways-it's time to come together and do something about it, this is the message I get from this song. This is the call-to-arms of a spiritual war that's imminent. Visually, I see the warhorse continuing down the mountain, stopping off here and there picking up new recruits for the ensuing battle. Lyrically, they're telling us the battle has begun and they're establishing their side--telling us where they come from emotionally. From here on out there are no lukewarm allies-"you are with us or against us, and we've got the power" is the message it conveys to me. As a side note, I wonder if "I'll be your beast of burden" is a sneaky shout-out to the Rolling Stones, as I do believe there are many secret shout-outs to their predecessors/influences on this album.

3.By Crooked Steps*
Don't let the soft intro fool you-they're still carrying the momentum of the first two tracks. This is a huge empathy song lyrically, but as with the 1st two comes from a position of authority-they're not to be reckoned with. Visually, the warhorse continues gathering its army-we're almost to the valley where the battle will take place. Along the way, the warhorse inspires, encourages, and instructs the recruits. Musically, this song is also very classic Soundgarden (as I understand them) not unlike the 1st two tracks. Zeppelin & Black Sabbath as the primary backdrop, but ultimately Soundgarden.

4.A Thousand Days Before
For the 1st time on the album we get a real chance to breathe. This is a transitional song-both musically and lyrically. We're being introduced to a more mature Soundgarden and we hear some different influences now: a bit southern rock-ish in a way, but also more Beatles-influenced than what they'd normally reveal. If I'm not mistaken I also hear some Traffic/Steve Winwood in this song. I don't believe these are new influences to them mind you, I just think they haven't chosen to reveal that side of themselves before-maybe they're coming to terms with their maturity in a very pleasant way. Visually, the warhorse and a substantial army have reached the valley-this is the calm before the storm. I see campfires and even some laughter as we take a one-night respite before the battle begins at sunrise.

Section 2 Battle, Death, and Attrition

5.Blood On The Valley Floor
The extremely Black-Sabbath-ish vibe to this song is no coincidence in my opinion-in fact, I think it was necessary. Black Sabbath had a way of bringing the adrenaline, but in a controlled kind of way-they were the gentle groove of the mosh pit. This is Love Rock made relentless & powerful. In my opinion, this is the most "grunge" sounding song on the album, and Cornell's voice reminds me a bit of Layne Staley in a couple of places. As a side note that has nothing to do with any of this, the opening guitar riff makes me think of the TV show Freaks & Geeks DVD I have. Visually, it's on! Epic battle scenes-reminiscent of Lord Of The Rings but not quite as large. It's a beautifully ugly scene: loved ones are lost and unforeseen heroes are made.

6.Bones Of Birds
The sobering effects of a necessary spiritual battle are felt deeply: we fight tooth and nail (no, that's not a sneaky Dokken reference as much as I love them) to make a brighter future for those we love, but we lose some of them in doing so-it's a terrible feeling. This song is very Black Hole Sun to me stylistically, prototypical Soundgarden of the 90's. Visually, the warhorse licks its wounds before a campfire as we all recover emotionally from the reality of battle. It would be easy for this army to surrender as we bury some of our loved ones and wrap bandages on those who have survived day one-but this army will NOT surrender. As Obi Wan would (hypothetically) say, if they died fighting for what we believe in, then it was worth it. As an added note, I find it really awesome that the "bird" sounds you hear at the end were made via Kim Thayil's guitar.

7.Taree
We carry the somberness of the previous track into Taree, but on a deeper level. Soundgarden reveals more of their new sound to us in this song, but-again-not at the expense of their identity. To mistake the gentle groove of this song for weakness would be a grave mistake-Cornell is revealing more of himself in this song than you probably realize. The double stops on guitar between the chorus and verse do a fabulous job of pulling us into his microcosm, and it's semblance to Lynyrd Skynyrd stylistically is awesome (for those not familiar with Lynyrd Skynyrd, I offer no assistance). Visually, the warhorse and entire army mourn the loss of a very special friend and ally. Today, the army fights in his honor! #LoveRockPrevails As a side note, the fact that the name "Taree" means "tree by the river" is not lost on us, whether or not Soundgarden or any of its members intended any such intention.

8.Attrition
Honestly, my favorite thing about this song is that its intro reminds me of Molly Hatchet's "Bloody Reunion." (for those that question me, here's the link to Molly Hatchet's song so you can compare yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAQHPdbGtt8 ). My second favorite thing about this song is the Rolling Stones-sounding "woo hoos" in the latter part of it. This is the one song that still hasn't managed to grow on me much yet-we'll see what time brings. Visually, this is a very important song-the warhorse and it's pitiful band (yes, that's a shameless shout-out to Star Wars) have reached the end of the valley, and they seek entrance into the next iron gate-the one that will lead them up the mountain and to the place where they belong. They give their argument as to why they should be allowed to proceed.

Part 3 Redemption & The New Mountain

9.Black Saturday
It's ironic to me they'd use the word "black" in the title of such an un-Black Sabbath type of song, though my mind reminds me that "Born Again" was a title of what (in my opinion) is one of the most underrated Black Sabbath albums (yes, I'm a huge Ian Gillan fan). Soundgarden's always been spiritual, but this song's a great reminder for those that have forgotten. This is by far the most Zeppelin-esque of the songs on the album and probably my personal fave to this point. Somehow in only one song Soundgarden has managed to capture the essence of Zep I, II, and III-had someone told me this could be done I would never have believed them. Believe it, it's true-remember this is coming from someone who is not quick to praise Soundgarden. This song-above & beyond all others on this album assures me that more albums are in the works & that the best of Soundgarden is yet to come (yes, if you bought a Soundgarden's best of, you may discard of it now). Visually, the warhorse and his few companions that are left have been granted entrance through the iron gate that will lead them up the final mountain-they will forever be remembered as legends and heroes. The only battles that remain (yes, I'm thinking of Zeppelin's "Song Remains The Same" as I type this) are within the individual. We continue to ascend and prove to the world that #LoveRockPrevails

10.Halfway There
This is such a classic Soundgarden-sounding song from the mid 90's, and oh so very sweet. In my opinion, this is the most radio-friendly track off the album, though I must admit if this were the 1st song a person heard off of King Animal they'd end up missing the point. It's a perfect blend of music, melody, and lyrics, and may at some point replace Black Saturday as my fave track from the album. Also, as I mentioned for an earlier track, do not mistake this song's softness for weakness nor lack of an edge-they've still got the power. I hear heavy Beatles influence in this song, btw. Visually, the warhorse and his loving companions find more questions than answers as they proceed up the glorious new mountain. The war is over-and though they live to sing another day-they're not quite sure if they won or lost this war. They press on warmly with a pleasant song in their heart and try their best to accept that the prize will be worth the cost. It will. #LoveRockPrevails As a side note, if anyone could tell me what the distorted voice says in two syllables at the 2:59 mark I'd be much obliged.

11.Worse Dreams
This is the most fascinating song on the album for me-both lyrically AND musically-but in a very awesome way. The dynamics of this song are simply fantabulous. If any readers of this know anything about electronics, this song is both series AND parallel at the same time. Just had a thought: likely the reason this song fascinates me so is that it's the best blend of dark & light on the album-it's really quite incredible though I know this song won't be remembered as one of Soundgarden's most legendary. Visually, the warhorse and its shrinking number of companions are forced to recommit themselves-this is the last chance to jump ship. Though the material war is over, the internal one will be even harsher; the steps to this final mountain will be the steepest yet: we're to the point now where each person carries their own burden; no one will be there to carry the load they cannot bear. Press on only if you wish to ascend.

12.Eyelids Mouth
This is another song that seems heavily influenced by southern rock (again, if you don't know who Lynyrd Skynrd is I can't help you). The beginning of this song also reminds me of my Freaks & Geeks DVD, but this time it's the bass guitar that takes me there. The thought enters my mind that the bass line from this song ties in with track 5 though I suspect this was completely unintentional on the part of Soundgarden. There's a lot of soul in this song, actually a great way to close the album in my opinion-also some great Zeppelin vibes in it as it progresses (and yes, I realize there's one more song on the album-but this is the last one as my story goes; I'll explain this more in the next paragraph). Visually, the warhorse and his few allies that have retained the strength to carry on have reached the summit. The repetitious chanting at the end is a perfect way to close the album (yes, I know there's one more track, hint hint).

13.Rowing
As much as I love this final track of King Animal (and I'm not complaining that it's on this album-it really does belong there) it seems like it would fit better as an intro to Soundgarden's next album-and yes, after what I've heard on this album, there's no doubt there will be more Soundgarden albums coming in the future. I have no inside info, but as a musician I can just tell. The band is anxiously awaiting your praise for the new direction they'll be heading, and I sincerely hope you give it to them. The idea is that this just keeps going, it doesn't end-we've got to stick with it, keep believing, and doing what we can to make this world a better place for generations to come. Visually, the warhorse has dug his own grave, and he spends his time from here on out relaxing until you bury him there. We found the path-we made it! Celebrate, and always remember that #LoveRockPrevails

Closing Statements
I firmly believe we will see more Soundgarden albums in the future and that they will continue to shine. For me, this album was a redistribution of the #Heartshine and I believe Atomic Honey (yes, that's my band for those who haven't figured that out somehow) has found themselves a new ally. Soundgarden is now truly ready to spread the Love Rock, and we've got their back!

Overall I'm giving this album 4.5 stars for now, though that's subject to change: in all honesty I can't find any reason not to give it 5 stars other than my stubborn rule of not giving an album this recent 5 stars. For me, 5-star albums are few and far between, and I don't want to cheapen the honor for the few that have made it. I hope this review gives you some insight to Soundgarden's King Animal and that you'll understand that this was an important album that needed to be made.

Kev
oxox

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Soundgarden's King Animal Part 1

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