King Tuff
King Tuff is the new record from King Tuff—his first for Sub Pop and his second album overall. Was Dead, King Tuff’s 2008 debut, captured the attention of the rock underground and quickly blew through its limited pressing (it now resides on ebay, being snatched up for hearty sums). His gem of a new album was produced by Bobby Harlow, of The Go and Conspiracy of Owls, and recorded during a furious two-week run in Detroit. And Bobby has the following, among a great many other things, to say about it: “After investigating Was Dead I realized that, with his latest offering, King Tuff’s songwriting was stretching far beyond the thrill of the immediate dance-floor reflex and now revealed a songwriter with a keen eye inside everyone. That was the stuff that I was interested in. Embarrass me! I don’t give a fuck about your ex-girlfriend. We’ve created something here. King Tuff should not be inspected or even listened to with critical ears. Cut your ears off. Rock & Roll is meant to be blasted into your cells, penetrated, and absorbed. It’s a visceral experience. Seek solace in solitude when you’re dead. If you aren’t able to recognize the genius in this epic album, then you’re already dead. Kill yourself. Or get a job. Your choice." Please do not really cut off your ears or kill yourself. These are rhetorical devices meant to convey some variation on the following: King Tuff might just save your life AND your ears. All hail the King.
After making an album under the name Happy Birthday, Kyle Thomas returns with a new moniker and sharper songwriting chops, resulting an album that is long on distortion and short on subtlety, but still manages to transcend lo-fi.
“There’s nothin’ better than alone and stoned,” Kyle Thomas sings on the second song of his self-titled sophomore album.…
Even if this brand of finely tuned garage rock is not entirely groundbreaking, and the infectious vocal hooks on each track are largely some variation on chanting each song's title, there's a woozy charm to this collection from prolific New Orleans musician Kyle 'King Tuff' Thomas – sometime frontman of J Mascis's stoner metal outfit, Witch. It's a rare occurrence that an entire dozen songs of such similar persuasion manage to retain a listener's attention in 2012, but Thomas ensures that each track is punchy, engaging and never outstays its welcome.