Strange and stirring
by
Pod
Get this out of the way: I went to uni with kim (Lead singer). She knew a away around a phrase like few did, ever; as is evident here. Always been a fan (am upset some songs aren't here from past recordings, but hell, leave that for the album!) I for one cannot wait for the LP!
I have seen the future and its kin great
by
Fallfan
Tired of cliched old pop and rock?
Want a change from the mundane and predictable?
Ready for a heady melange of inspired music - arperggiating guitars with sonic electronic excursions and a muscular bass and drum combination to die for?
Want songs that both make you tap your feet and get your mind working...?
Then you should buy this EP .
Heavily premiered on my radio show for the last month or so this is the release of the year in my opinion. And that's notwithstanding an already marvellous run of releases from Julia Adamson's lable.
Kin's enchanting vocal stylings conjour comparisons with her influencers - Beth Gibbons, Bjork, Thom York, and Jeff Buckley amongst others - however leave your preconcieved notions at the door after that listing and get drawn into the voice of the moment. From guttural growls, through husky blues inflected phrases, to joyous vocal pyrotechnics here we have an artist who can evoke a huge range of emotions as a song progresses. Both instantly recognisable in parts but with that little extra thing at the back of your head that says - this is new, and this is good. Add to that a guitarist who can take you from a folk idiom through to an angular post rock cascade in the heart of one song and you have something special.
In Jonn Dean, Kin has a keyboard player who is both inventive and ground-breaking in the use of palettes of sound. Simon "Ding" Archers bass is captured to perfection and his range of stylings adds a unique flavour to the overall sound. Drummer Howard Jones is inventive and shows a real grasp of light and shade in supporting this music.
From the powerhouse opening "Something Stupid", the mutant blues of "Little Mind" through to the lyrically rich "Chemistry Set" this EP defies convention and the current obsessions with form rather than substance. The lengthy "How to Speak" is a mesmerising journey of inventive use of language through a structured musical forms with breathtaking dynamics. The lyrics - which touch on madness and personal freedom - evoke a visceral reaction in this listener. The sultry "Hibiscus" with its clever use of electronica, and insanely catchy rhythm, is a masterpiece in controlled tension.
Words are not enough, you need to listen, its an experience you will not regret......
