Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds – That Delicious Vice

Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds – That Delicious Vice (19th april 2024)

I have to say, this band really caught my ear!

That said, I’m having a hard time with the first two tracks on the album. They aren’t overly complex, they’re well-written and well-composed… but not catchy enough for me! It’s starting with the third track—“A Beast, A Priest”—that this album really takes off for me. That’s when there’s a clear indie rock vibe tinged with indie pop.

A more punk (or even post-punk) energy kicks in starting with the fourth track, “The Boy Had It All.” Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds are still an excellent band, but this album isn’t perfect. Yes, I’m very demanding at times, but a very good album is already pretty great! I can’t wait to hear the albums from 2021, 2017, and 2016! Because, generally, when I love a fourth album or later, there’s a good chance I’ll adore the earlier ones even more.

This album could appeal to quite a few people. Anti-pop fans will find some of the more pop-oriented tracks less interesting. But music connoisseurs and the very open-minded will be delighted to find that the band moves from rock to psychedelic, passing through blues while maintaining an alternative edge. That doesn’t stop the band from also venturing into Latin territory with “Ese Vicio Delicioso.” There are genres I don’t like, but as soon as they’re mixed with rock, as far as I’m concerned, it’s always better!

“Las Vegas Interlude,” track 8, brings the album’s energy down a notch, and it’s a moment I’m not as fond of, either. On the other hand, “Never Said,” the next track, is one of my favorites. It’s not necessarily original, but it’s another sequence of chords that I love and that always sound great. And this band is no exception!

To make this a perfect album, I’d remove the two or three tracks I’ve complained about.

The last one is very long: 17 minutes and 44 seconds, no less!!!

It’s a kind of progression, an experiment. Those are the words that best define “Murder of Sunrise,” which closes out an emotionally powerful record. It’s not a track you’d listen to twice in a row, nor one I’d listen to every day. Very long, slow, and trippy… you have to be in a certain frame of mind to listen to this. When people say, “I listen to everything,” they certainly aren’t listening to this kind of thing!

I’m very curious to find out if Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds have made completely different albums, or if there’s a similarity, or if their latest songs are still long, strange, hard to understand, even unbearable for those who just want to relax. Because “Murder of Sunrise” can be a stressful track for some, completely therapeutic for others.

I could wrap this up by saying that there’s some really great stuff on That Delicious Vice, but that I’ll probably have to make two playlists to separate what I might listen to all the time… from what I might listen to once a year.

But there’s one more crucial thing I need to say before I go: Kid Congo Powers is actually… Brian Tristan! Yes, the American rock guitarist (who also plays piano and keyboards), singer, and actor, best known as a member of the Gun Club, the Cramps, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Since January 2015, Powers’ main musical project has been the band The Pink Monkey Birds. And you can definitely tell it’s his style. Punk Rock, Post-Punk, Alternative, Rock, and Garage Rock hold no secrets for him.

Enjoy the listen!

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