Though he seems decidedly “Alone & Stoned,” King Tuff drew a crowd last year when he released a little collection of “joyous glam-garage blurts” called, what else, King Tuff. That record made SPIN’s 50 Best Albums of 2012 list handily, and raised self-sustaining songman Kyle Thomas from underground obscurity to rising rock concern. But before he was strutting proudly amongst us living, King Tuff Was Dead. At least, that was the name of dude’s 2008 Tee Pee Records debut, which has since gone way outta print. Thankfully, the fine folks at Southern California’s Burger Records are now resurrecting the formative strummer on vinyl for the rest of us to hear, on April 30.
Looking for a preview of this past master? “I wanted Was Dead to be a pure Vermont Rock and Roll record,” Thomas writes, “fueled by extra sharp Cabot cheddar cheese and hot, grade-A fancy maple syrup poured over crisp white snow and served with a pickle and a cider donut. You sit down on the shitty concrete in the parking lot and you slurp it all up.”
But if that’s not descriptive enough, give a listen to “Sun Medallion,” a vintage-sounding string-rattler that captures an insane amount of cool in its two and a half minutes. Preorder over at Burger.
King Tuff, Was Dead original track list:
1. “Dancing on You”
2. “Connection”
3. “Sun Medallion”
4. “Lazerbeam”
5. “Lady”
6. “A Pretty Dress”
7. “Ruthie”
8. “Just Strut”
9. “Kind of Guy”
10. “Freak When I’m Dead”
11. “Animal”
12. “Stone Fox”
13. “So Desperate”
