Kinski - Down Below It's Chaos

Kinski
Down Below It’s Chaos
Sub Pop Records
Grade: A-

Admittedly, Kinski’s previous albums of instrumental psychedelic rock epics didn’t do me good for whatever reason. It used to all sound like a jambled mess of rock laid down between acid trips with very little rhyme or reason. Whether it is me or it is the progression of Kinski, Down Below It’s Chaos is a mind-blowingly hot record. With a more pristine guitar rock focus than wall of sound – witness the uber-super “Passwords & Alcohol” that actually has vocals (and in an early grunge Sub Pop cadence) – to me Down Below It’s Chaos makes for the psychedelic version of Explosions in the Sky; though that’s probably a bad comparison for both bands. Possibly my love for this record came from blasting it on the highways in a new car with too much horsepower on the way to work. Other tracks to rock your balls sideways include “Boy, Was I Mad!,” the mellow “Plan, Steal, Drive,” and opener “Crybaby Blowout.” The slow moving, dirty closer “Silent Biker Type” reminds me of why I wasn’t originally down on Kinski. Likewise, if Kinski wasn’t your thing kicking off, but you’re down on instrumental rock, then Down Below It’s Chaos may be for you.