ALBUM REVIEW: The Kinks - State of Confusion

    At the start of the decade, The Kinks were seemingly out of steam - a tumultuous 70s had resulted in the group's weakest output to date and an eventual exodus of band members. Despite this seemingly dim prognosis, they followed up their dismal Low Budget with the surprisingly decent '81 release Give the People What They Want, and ultimately if the people wanted a fine Kinks album, that's what they got. In spite of a bit of that 80s cheese, Give the People was a surprisingly competent affair that also had some of their hardest rocking material in seemingly years. Perhaps the new decade allowed for a new sense of focus for The Kinks, and I'm even more convinced after hearing State of Confusion. With an even greater sense of what they're doing, balancing great rockers with slower moments and some killer pop numbers, the result is probably The Kink's strongest album since Sleepwalker. I'm decently surprised, but clearly The Kinks still have something in them.

    There's only one major reservation that occurred to me at moments, and I'm sure is a factor that will be important to some people's enjoyment to this album - it's hair more into that 80s sound that worked its way into Give the People What They Want. Now luckily, this was before the worst of the 1980s when not even the best artists like Paul McCartney or David Bowie could make it out unscathed; this is tasteful cheese, damn it! That being said, it's still significant enough on moments like the title track or the thumping "Labour of Love" to where it would definitely dissuade people who aren't a fan of that sound. With that aside, it should be worth mentioning that this is an improvement over Give the People in production overall - the songs feel much more powerful and punching, and its able to be more gentle when need be. It's far more dynamic than its predecessor in this regards, and the result is a damn-good sounding rock record that isn't hindered by some dated production aspects.

    There's more to the album than just some solid production work - State of Confusion is the group's tightest and most consistent album since their comeback in the late 70s, which is by far the main appeal of this record. Things are immediately off to a great start with the killer title track, which also sets the tone for the rest of the album - a lot of the album is painted in a melancholic sense of times passed, like a more modern and middle-aged take on The Village Green Preservation Society at some points, which is a bold statement but not one that I think is necessarily out of pocket. The big hit on this album "Come Dancing", outside of being a fun enough pop song (one of their better ones, even), is painted in this sense of simpler times of dancing and simple love. Much of the album is coated in a real frustration and disappointment that feels more earnest here, be it reflecting the uncertainty in a song like "Definite Maybe", the end of love in "Property", or a moment like "Young Conservatives", which feels like a lament for the rebellion of Ray's youth coming to an end. It's not all perfect, as "Heart of Gold" is a particularly same-y tune and Dave's "Bernadette" is a bit of a weaker way to end, but it's remarkably cohesive sounding.

    The Kinks began the decade with more momentum than a good chunk of their 70s output, and State of Confusion is only an improvement on the ideas from Give the People What They Want. It's produced well, has some killer rock numbers, great pop tunes, and a real sense of anger and a point that it wants to make, which is more than what I can say for some of their previous albums. I'm surprised that I found this as enjoyable as I did, but not at all ashamed to call this one of their stronger releases. Frankly, I welcome it, and all I'm hoping is that they keep the momentum going.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to State of Confusion.