Honkey Kong

Album Review

If you're a musician and you join up with Josh Homme in a project, the pro is that you'll usually come out with a winner music-wise (Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, etc.), but since Homme has such a busy work schedule, you can forget about a regular record-tour-record-tour cycle. Case in point, Eagles of Death Metal. Homme serves as the group's drummer (on record) and co-songwriter, while his longtime pal, Jesse Hughes, serves as singer/guitarist and the other half of the songwriting equation. But with Homme juggling his other projects, Eagles of Death Metal albums occur on a somewhat sporadic basis (and Homme is oft-times replaced by another drummer for live work). Come 2011, with no new Eagles of Death Metal album in sight, Hughes decided to launch a solo career (going by the nickname Boots Electric), resulting in the release of Honkey Kong. While the Eagles of Death Metal's music is by and large built upon bluesy garage rock, Honkey Kong sees Hughes move closer to Beck's electronic funk sound than say, the Sonics. The proof is in such uptempo tunes as the album-opening "Complexity," as well as such sexed-up fare as "Boots Electric Theme" (which sees Hughes duet with Homme's wife, Brody Dalle). Also, there are moments that Hughes' appreciation of old-time rock & roll shines through, such as "No Fun," which combines Phil Spector's trademarked drum beat with piano and heartbroken lyrics. In addition to proving once and for all that Hughes can stand on his own as a rock & roller, Honkey Kong meets the main requirement of all of the previous albums Hughes has appeared on. It's a rockin' good time.