King Kong's fourth LP finds them progressing beyond the nursery rhyme pop of their classic Funny Farm and the grating conceptual shtick of 1995's Me Hungry to write some of their most mature songs to date. Okay, so maybe silly songs like "Imposter Monsters," "Horny Toad," and "Funky Monkey" won't be played on NPR any time soon, but when you're dealing with a band whose last LP included such lyrical gems as "Me scared, me excited/Must climb tree," it's all pretty relative. While
Kingdom of Kong features less of co-vocalist Amy Greenwood, organist Todd Hilddreth reveals himself as the group's secret weapon, kicking out licks like a minor league
John Medeski. With his shimmering Hammond runs,
Ray Rizzo's funky drums, and frontman Ethan Buckler's improved guitar work, the mighty
King Kong has developed into a fearsome groove monster. ~ Bret Love