As its name (or at least the
pre-colon part of it) suggests, X is
the tenth record by the Texan art rock stalwarts. Over the last 25
years or so, they’ve have had a notably inconsistent output. That’s been my
experience of them live. When I saw them supporting Foo Fighters in 2000 they were truly awful;
whereas a gig of theirs in 2012 was one of my best shows of the 2010s. This inconsistency has also long been true of their recorded output. For every Madonna (1999 – good), there’s been a So Divided (2006 – bad!!!). X
is somewhere near the top of the mixed bag. It’s not as good as the album that
remains their masterpiece, Source Tags
and Codes (2002), or even the more recent highpoint of Tao of the Dead (2012). But it comes very close. It’s a record that feels more vibrant than they have in a
while, but it’s also a bit less self-consciously ‘arty’ than much of their back
catalogue: this iteration of their ‘art rock’ template is more focused on the ‘rock’
part. That said, X starts with
the swirling, Hans Zimmer-esque
swell of ‘The Opening Crescendo’, and there are other progressive forays up and
down the scales (‘Children of the Sky’) and some orchestral floating (‘Eyes of
the World’). But there’s also focused scuzz (e.g., ‘All Who Wander’). Overall, this
falls firmly in the ‘good’ portion of ...And
You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead’s output. Even money album 11 will be
rubbish.