Chris Knox Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
Chris Knox's ever-productive career shows no signs of slowing down with Beat, just over 70 minutes (counting some silence and a wiggy bonus track) of his own merrily tweaked take on psych-pop and rock, glowing with all the warm and rough energy that's made him a deserved legend. That the album starts with "It's Love" -- perhaps not as scintillating as "Not Taken Lightly," but no less affecting in its sentiments and armed with a killer piano party -- sets the tone for the rest of the album. It's not that he's not avoiding other sentiments, to be sure -- one of the album's subtitles is "the hopeful heart of rage," and while Beat hardly drips with anger, it does have feistiness in spades. "Ghost," the brilliant, energetic rocker that nearly closes the album, details a lingering spirit that's sharp, evil, and in the end all too human. Love itself gets a raking over the coals -- at least in terms of the commercialized and fetishized sense -- with "What Do We Do With Love?" a sprightly and ever more fleshed out arrangement, and Knox's wry singing combining just so. Knox's gift for doing what he wants just how he wants it is everywhere, whether it's with the giddy waltz swing of "The Man in the Crowd," the witty and distinctly unfunereal-sounding "When I Have Left This Mortal Coil," and the slow-building crawl from pulsing bass to wistful country-rock meditation "Becoming Something Other." Some tracks really show his roots with affection -- "My Only Friend" in particular has a harmonized mid-song break that's pure Beatles (and could easily rival it). The Salvation Army Horns (aka Neill Duncan and Kingsley Melhuish) add some peppy arrangements at points, but otherwise it's just Knox and his abilities on display, and once again he does the business. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Almost is exactly that: a collection of also-rans that almost made it onto albums released between 1989 and 1995. One does wonder, however, what Chris Knox was thinking when he left out stunners like "Tina," a glorious, dark rip-roarer about parents desperately endeavoring to live through their child, with nasty results. Fortunately, he leaves funny, informative notes about each track, often opening an intriguing window into his mind ("Plastic surgery's always got my motor running...," "...naked confessions of inadequacy are just another defence mechanism," etc.). Almost works as an album despite the fact that some songs were composed years apart because the actual recording of the material took place in March of 1998; it definitely flows because of the consistency of the sound and of the arrangements, consisting mostly of Knox with a clean and/or dirty guitar. Inevitably, some songs wind up feeling a bit like throwaways, but the passion, the cutting, incisive humor, and the warbling, piercing tenor are in place throughout. Although the intrepid New Zealander can slip into self-righteousness, one can't argue with a corker like, "But the problem is they wear them/'Cause it's such a scary age/And they haven't learned the politics of rage," as heard on the anthem "Don't Worry, B Major." ~ Will Lerner, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Chris Knox's prolific output is so consistent in its quality and scope that it's often easy to forget just how good his records really are. While there's little to distinguish Yes!! from recent efforts like Songs of You & Me or Meat, that's hardly meant as a criticism -- Knox's albums increasingly seem less like individual works than part of a much bigger picture that's still coming into focus, and compared to the erratic, anything-goes aesthetic which permeates the American lo-fi underground, it's refreshing to encounter an artist with such a firm grasp of his craft that he makes excellent albums seem almost automatic. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A handy collection that pulls together most but not all of theSeizure and Croaker albums for American fans, Meat doesn't contain any rarities (and those of a completist bent will likely want to hunt down the original releases). That's quibbling, though, because it's a humdinger of a disc that any newcomers to Knox and his work will want to hunt down without delay. Warm liner notes from Knox himself (along with a hilarious self-caricature that says "Hi Alec" in reference to Knox's Tall Dwarfs partner) note that a separate vinyl release contained the remaining songs from the two albums. As a result, the interested listener "will be able to rest easy and devote your leisure time to growing small bodily cancers." There is one fun ringer on the record, though: "1954," appearing from 1982's Songs for Cleaning Guppies album, specifically included because otherwise the American company wouldn't release it! All that aside, anything with such brilliant songs on it as "The Woman Inside of Me," "Meat," "Liberal Backlash Angst," and especially the utterly wonderful love song "Not Given Lightly" -- winningly off psych-inspired fun from a master at just that kind of music -- is well worth the listening. All that and a photo of Knox wearing, of course, a meat mask. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Although this isn't a good deal different than his other work (both with the Tall Dwarfs and on his own), this may be Knox's best album, simply by virtue of the sheer amount of territory it covers over 21 songs. The fidelity is also somewhat better than most of his other releases, and although Knox has often championed the virtues of cheap home recording, this is a considerable virtue. A bit of clarity, without coming at the expense of slickness, simply makes the stuff easier to listen to. The disc is also the strongest evidence of Knox's talents as one of the more interesting lyricists working in indie rock, examining psychological conflict with a complexity that takes several listenings to grip. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
'Polyfoto, Duck Shaped Pain & "Gum"'
Release Date 1/1/1993
Tracks 21
Label Communion
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Recorded on a Walkman between 1990 and 1992, although you wouldn't really know from the quite listenable clarity of the results; fidelity-wise, it's no worse than other Knox/Tall Dwarfs product, and quite possibly better than some. More important is the content, a typically Knoxian journey through such varied topics as rape, Rodney King, distorted self-images, cosmetic surgery, and ruminations inspired by contemporary cultural theorists. The music is still pop/rock-experimentalism, sometimes approaching (as in "Trim Milk") his best melodies. It's not so outstanding, however, that the herky-jerky nature of the exploration can't start to get exhausting. With nearly 70 minutes, it may well have worked better in a somewhat edited fashion. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There's really little to distinguish this from a Tall Dwarfs record of the same period. Knox may be writing and playing everything, but it's very close in tone and tune to what he makes with Alec Bathgate -- eclectic, psychedelic noise with lo-fi production values. If you need to differentiate, this seems to be somewhat cruder and more noise-oriented than the Tall Dwarfs projects; song titles like "The Woman Inside of Me" and "Rapist" are indication enough that the subjects stray just as far from the hit parade. If you like Tall Dwarfs well enough to pick up their albums every time you see one, you will want this as well, but if your interest is more casual, you'd be better off sticking with one or two Tall Dwarfs records. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
