ALBUM REVIEW: The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies

    By most accounts that I've gathered, this is where The Kink's "golden age" comes to its conclusion. Starting in 1966, The Kinks began an unbelievable run of quality, from the loose conceptual commentary on British life in Face to Face and powering through countless great records - from the baroque Something Else to the soaring power and storytelling of Arthur to the sarcastic jabs of Lola Versus Powerman, The Kinks and Ray Davies were at the height of power. A change was coming, though, as even on Lola you can taste the upcoming theatrics of their next era, regularly panned as one of their worst periods. Luckily, you'll hear nothing on Muswell Hillbillies that shows that to come - in fact, in many ways Muswell Hillbillies hardly even sounds like a Kinks record. It's a dive into Americana, roots rock, and a splash of country that somehow still carries Ray Davies' mold for simpler times, anachronistic living, and British charm - only The Kinks could make the sound of America feel so British. If this is in fact their last "great" record, than it's one hell of a way to end.

    While elements of Lola maybe hinted at some of the sonic styles on Muswell Hillbillies, almost nothing could prepare you for the change in sound. Muswell is a full-on dive into the sound of America, indebted to folk, country, blues, and good ol' rock and roll. All of this results in an album that, at points, punches even harder and more effectively than Lola ever did - see the album's pumping opener "20th Century Man" for all the evidence you need. The album in many ways feels like the culmination of everything prior, building off the reflection and hope of a simpler time on records like Village Green and Arthur, but now with a darker twist. Instead of reflecting on the fondness of a past filled with Donald Duck, billiards, croquet lawns and village greens, it's juxtaposed with a fear of the future and a distrust of modern life, playing like a more frantic and paranoid counterpart to the more uplifting Village Green; the opening lines of the aptly named "Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues" is "I'm too terrified to walk out of my own front door" for Christ's sake. Of course, the uplifting spirit is still in the album's soul at points, most apparent with the jaunty "Have a Cuppa Tea," a song about... just guess.

    Never before this album have The Kinks sounded this tight. Even in comparison to the pounding and punching rock of Arthur, every member of the group on Muswell is giving their absolute best effort. By far the standout is Dave Davies, who has always been a fine guitarist as far back as on their debut, but on this album he slides and powers through the entire thing with immaculate skill. His work really does carry the atmosphere for most of these song, and it's brilliant. Of course, John Gosling's sensible piano fills and backing paints pictures, too, best seen in the hungover, stumbly feel of "Alcohol." The entire group is firing at all cylinders throughout, from the slower and more reflective moments like "Oklahoma U.S.A." and the mysterious "Holloway Jail" to the pounding finale of "Muswell Hillbilly," quite possibly one of the absolute greatest songs from the group. Clean and effective harmonies, a driving beat from Mick Avory, and some of the most filling instrumentation from the group - in many ways, it's the ethos of the band's golden era, transcending the excellence of the album it shares its name with.

    What a great run! What a great album! What a great finale! Muswell Hillbillies is an excellent encapsulation of what made The Kinks so distinct and special in the midst of the British Invasion. While it differs in sound with a certain "Kinks do America" style and substance, the ethos and spirit is distinctly British and reflective on the past. Fear of the future and longing for the days of the past, and a powerful group behind the clever lyricism and occasional poeticism of Ray Davies. One hell of an album, that's for sure.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Muswell Hillbillies.