I distinctly remember when Life is Killing Me was diffused to the masses. If I'm being honest, I can't say that I'm 100% unbiased, as I have some scrumptious memories tied to this fucker. It received spins during October, for one. The fact that it's one of my "Halloween records" automatically gives it brownie plaudits, the kind of stroke that the other Type O opuses (that doesn't sound right) lack. Plus, "(We Were) Electrocute" appears on the Freddy Vs. Jason soundtrack. I'll never understand why they didn't use "IYDKMIGHTKY (Gimme That)" instead, what with its driving refrain of "If you don't kill me/I'm gonna have to kill you." It's only perfect!?
This album was a breath of fresh, somewhat buoyant air after the despondent World Coming Down. I shouldn't classify it as happy; no Type O disc is happy. Nevertheless, it's happier than its predecessor. Compared to "'White Slavery" and "Everything Dies," it's goddamn chipper. It does have its sinkholes of abjection, but on the whole, it's underscored with a more consequential nip of the band's black humor. Each track has its own flavor, so I feel compelled to eat this elephant one spoonful at a time. That's from a joke. How do you eat an elephant? With a spoon. No, wait. I think I fucked it up. I've ruined everything. Either way, it has nothing to do with a disastrous A Perfect Circle album.
1. "Thir13een" ~ Basically an intro. It cribs the interstitial theme from The Munsters, so yay.
2. "I Don't Wanna Be Me" ~ This was the first single, and I must say, it smacked me in the face the first time I heard it. A fast Type O tune well under four minutes? Bracing. Kenny offers a killer solo. An atypical song, but it still wore the trappings of classic TON.
3. "Less Than Zero (<0)" ~ Here, the music gives itself room to breathe. It's a little more melodic and the arrangement is more adventurous. The riffs are riffy!
4. "Todd's Ship Gods (Above All Things)" ~ The lyrics are rather poignant. They attest to the diversity of the album, at least in terms of topics. Musically, I'm not a fan. I find it to be bland. By the way, I typed that last sentence with my nose pointed to the heavens.
5. "I Like Goils" ~ It's funny; I doubt that even Steele would write this song today. It's still amusing, though.
6. "...A Dish Best Served Coldly" ~ A rad fucking jam. It contains everything from swampy riffage to tempo shifts (I enjoy tempo shifts) to...um, other cool shit. Just trust me.
7. "How Could She?" ~ Great chorus and shredtastic lead breaks. Dude, Kenny Hickey is an underrated guitarist. Anyhow, it's fun singing along to the verses. Judy Jetsoooooooon.
8. "Life is Killing Me" ~ Ah, the epic title track. I'm surprised that it wasn't released to radio. It's a heavy stomper that comes equipped with incisive lyrics about assisted suicide. I believe it was the brilliant philanthropist Frank Reynolds who said of doctors: "They're all shit."
9. "Nettie" ~ A moving number memorializing Steele's mother. Exceptional.
10. "(We Were) Electrocute" ~ Audaciously poppy. While it fits on this set of canticles, I deem it skippable. TON and major keys don't mix, in my opinion.
11. "IYDKMIGHTKY (Gimme That)" ~ Jesus, this is going to be a nightmare to proofread. Huh? Oh, right. I mentioned this one earlier. I dig.
12. "Angry Inch" ~ I've never seen Hedwig, but this is an energetic song that virtually blackmails you into tapping your toes.
13. "Anesthesia" ~ My pick for best fucking ditty. Almost twenty years later, it has the same effect on me. That climactic wail...son of a bitch!
14. "Drunk in Paris" ~ A harmless instrumental. Not much to say.
15. "The Dream is Dead" ~ My pick for best fucking riff (the opening riff, that is). A rock-solid denouement.
Overall, Look What the Cat Dragged In is Poison's fourth worst recording, not counting splits and compilations.
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