It’s my general impression that Royal Trux fans (all seventeen of them) tend to fall into two categories: the fans who prefer their noisy, chaotic deconstructions of rock and roll, and those who prefer them when they play actual songs. Count me among the latter group. You won’t find Twin Infinitives (1990), their borderline unlistenable noise-fest, highly revered in some circles, in any of my top album lists.
But when they allow a little song structure and melody to creep into their music, I find them a fascinating listen. The shabby tag-team vocal duo of Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema had an irresistibly messy appeal, and Hagerty’s alt-Southern-fried guitar could produce glorious noise. “Turn of the Century” for example seems to amble along in a daze before collapsing upon itself and fading into the air.
I went through a Royal Trux stretch during the mid-to-late ‘90s, listening to a decent chunk of their work pretty extensively. Cats and Dogs (1993) was by far my favorite of their albums, followed by Thank You (1995). Accelerator (1998), which came out sometime after the bulk of my Royal Trux listening, was a nice addition which briefly rekindled my attention, as did a rarities double-disc I picked up around the same time.
Here’s a highly listenable sampling of Royal Trux (aside from a first, noisy track to kick things off). Enjoy.
Cover Art:
- Thank You (cover) and Accelerator (inner sleeve): Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
Recent Comments