Frontman and founding member Chris Bailey has recorded a fresh, yet ultimately dated collection of melancholic and lacklustre compositions.
To begin this review with a standard introduction to The Saints would insult your intelligence. If you’re not aware of them, get to work. If you are, you know how important and influential they have been to Australia’s musical legacy.
It is with deep sadness and trepidation then to inform you that album number 14 does little to uphold that reputation.
Album opener and title track ‘King Of The Sun’ is a brooding, romantic and confusing statement. With lyrics such as “someone is sleeping in my shoes / I think watermelon’s cool”, it is hard to understand what Bailey is trying to put across to the listener.
A short burst of salvation follows with the killer progression and catchy guitar hook of ‘Million Miles Away’. Other commendable tracks include the introspective ‘Turn’ and the aggressively charged ‘Road To Oblivion Part 2’.
Unfortunately King Of The Sun is plagued by poor performances, confusing lyrics, below standard production, and an ‘empty pub on a Tuesday open mic night’ sense of depression.
Living up to the success and longevity of songs like ‘(I’m) Stranded)’ and ‘This Perfect Day’ would be hard for even the world’s most talented songwriter, but it is difficult to imagine those same classic, timeless, and incredible songs coming from the same mind as the material contained on King Of The Sun.
Fortunately the bonus disc Songs From The Stash contains some classic hits that remind us why The Saints were so important to begin with.
