The Shivering King And Others is a beautiful, perfect storm of a record. Over the years I've listened to this record so often, so intently, that even the most subtle nuances put a smile on my face. That faint sound of feedback just before the opening track, 'I Love You Too', kicks in with a riff that haunts dreams and nightmares alike? Oh yes. I could go on, but the end result is simply an album that fires on all cylinders.
Upon its release in 2003, the album generated a bit of buzz in certain circles, but was disregarded by many. It was felt that the band's appearance on Matador, a label that (at the time) was largely reconfiguring its own identity, seemed odd at best and a poor move at worst. With the dust now long-settled, we are left with a near flawless snapshot of the band at what I would argue to be its creative apex (which should not be misinterpreted as a slight to their material since this release, which I also enjoy). This album goes far beyond their two previous studio releases, their self-titled debut and their sophomore effort, Howls From The Hills (both on Joe Lally's Tolotta label). While those two releases were good in their own right, The Shivering King And Others showcases stunning execution with proper variation and just a bit of restraint. That variation can be seen in the intense riffage of a track like 'Good Moanin', countered by the much more cerebral and introspective 'Heaven' and the acid-soaked revamp of 'Everything's Going On'.
Shivering King is the documented result of a band acting as a true musical unit. That end result, a near decade later (!!), remains awe-inspiring.
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