On Kings & Queens of the Underground, pop-rock icon Billy Idol croons, belts, and yells through his trademark sardonic sneer against a generic but fitting backdrop of 80s arena rock production. There is both legitimate appeal and some camp appeal, depending on how you feel about ‘80s-era pre-packaged sex, drugs and rock n’ roll aesthetic, but the album isn’t far enough in either direction to make it great for either crowd.
Idol’s persona worked great for the over-the-top darkness and sensuality of hits like “White Wedding” and “Rebel Yell,” but now that he’s approaching age 60 it comes across a little unsettling. It’s hard to shake the image of an aging man desperately trying to cling to an aesthetic that worked so well for him 30 years ago, and this imbues every song with a strange, depressing element.
But the album is still full of decent to good, if maybe a little too safe, melodies. The verses and choruses resonate on repeat listens. It works best as background music, because there’s not quite enough of interest in the songs to maintain the listener’s close attention.
The lyrics fill their role for the most part—they’re tales of mysteriously foreboding love, alternately saved and betrayed. There are a few clunky lines, most notably during “One Breath Away,” when Idol croons, “You touched the child / inside the man.” It’s not a bad description once he completes the sentence, but it’s the kind of thing that will make you do an auditory double-take. The song does feature cool, stuttery guitar solo with huge swelling keyboards behind it.
“Whiskey and Pills,” the album’s closer, is a nice, rocking change from the string of ballads that precede it, but feels like it’s trying a little too hard to be a love letter to hard partying. It’s ironic hearing a song that glorifies using drugs and alcohol to get through the day after an album that featured several songs referring to and lamenting Idol’s past difficulties with drug addiction.
A sense of awkwardness permeates the work—of a man trying to relive and reclaim glories long past, feeling that he’ll shoot right back to the top if he just does what he did before. Listening to it, you just want to give him a side hug and pat on the back.
Rating: C
