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episode date - April 7, 2007
This interview with Pete Mitchell of No More Kings is the most fun we’ve had since watching Cosby Show reruns.
From a critical perspective, few things are more enjoyable than a pleasant surprise. Since we are expected to listen to four, five, sometimes even ten new CDs every week, it is easy to become cynical, especially when so much product sounds more or less the same – Is it another pretty blue-eyed boy who writes sensitive songs? A female songwriter with an attitude? A long-haired band with noisy guitars and angst-y lyrics? I see each of these stereotypes approximately once a week, and I have grown tired of inventing new adjectives for the same-old same old.
This is why the No More Kings cd was such a pleasant surprise. In my opinion, the press kit that preceded the cd didn’t do the group proper justice. As I noted in my review, my partner refused to even cover the disk, because the promo material made it sound so god-awful. Songs about the Karate Kid, Gulliver’s Travels and Charlie Brown characters prompted his gag reflex, but I promised that I would at least listen before jumping to conclusions, and once the disk arrived, I fell in love on first listen. Whether it is because the singer sounds so self-effacing, or perhaps because he sounds so sincere, the songs worked brilliantly. Of course, it helped immensely that the arrangements were fresh and the melodies were so hook-laden. It’s a cd that I love to play for friends, who are also usually pleasantly surprised by how quickly they get drawn in.
During this interview we learn a lot about the band’s fascination with junk culture, but we also learn that it can be as fun to talk with the bandmembers as it is to listen to their cd. So enjoy the interview, and then pick up a copy of the disk. A good time is guaranteed for all.
 
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