Can you keep a dirty little secret? I'm ashamed to admit it, but I like Louis XIV.
This is bad because Louis XIV are ridiculous. They are obsessed with sex, sex and more sex, and they want the whole world to know about it. Highlights from their innuendo-dripping debut album in 2005 included, "We don't have to go to the pool / If you want me to make you wet." Or the politically correct, "Chocolate girl, well you're looking like something I want / Ah and your little Asian friend well, well she can come if she wants." Not surprisingly, the album was greeted with outrage from many, and Alabama even went as far as to ban the band from playing in the state. The Californian rockers should not be taken seriously, however, and they openly acknowledge that their songs are always tongue-in-cheek.
When listening to their second album, Slick Dogs and Ponies, I was surprised to discover that not every song was about sex. It's only on every one out of two songs. Instead we get lines like "I can stare at you all night and you won't even notice" in "Stalker," helping to cement the image I have of them as creepy old men. To add to the effect, Louis XIV's frontman, Jason Hill, does not actually sing but half-speaks the lyrics with his unique voice.
Louis XIV back up their sleazy lyrics with rock 'n' roll, and both their albums are tributes to glam rock. It is hard to avoid making comparisons to T-Rex, especially when their previous song, "A Letter to Dominique," is remarkably similar to "Metal Guru." Aside from the music style, however, their interpretation of glam rock does not include the gender-bending or the crazy sci-fi lyrics that traditionally characterized glam rock. They are more interested in writing songs to make their many female groupies dance, and they succeed in doing this.
On Slick Dogs and Ponies, they turn to David Bowie for inspiration. "Air Traffic Control" is the most blatant rip-off of "Space Oddity" that I have ever heard. For the first time, they also have experimented with writing slower songs, such as "Tina," which work surprisingly well. Their attempt to include political messages, such as the anti-war message in "Free Won't Be What It Used To Be," however, is less convincing. "There's a Traitor in the Room" is my favorite song. It is a raunchy, pounding song that would not be out of place on their first album.
In addition, they have released eight different B-sides with the album, and which B-sides you get depends on where you bought it. Mine came with a cover of "Eleanor Rigby," which is a random choice for a band like Louis XIV, and predictably it is nowhere near as good as the original.
On Slick Dogs and Ponies, Louis XIV deal with the awkward second album well. They have progressed sufficiently so that the album is not simply a rehash of their debut without losing any of their trademarks that their fans love. They still have ridiculous lyrics, but I like them for it. They never could be accused of being pretentious, and you get the sense that all they want to do is have fun, which is a refreshing change from the many achingly hip bands in the indie-rock world. As a fan of glam rock, I welcome any attempts to bring it back, even in the diluted form that is Louis XIV. So maybe I do not need to be ashamed after all!
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