Thrones of Glory - Single

Thrones of Glory (featuring Boom Bip and Asya of Smoosh)

     

Breaking down beats seems as natural to HEAD LIKE A KITE as breaking down genre barriers. HLAK’s new single "Thrones of Glory" highlights HLAK's love of keeping listeners guessing by mixing it up with guests, this time enlisting the talents of electronic wonderkid Boom Bip (Neon Neon) and Asya of Smoosh, to produce HLAK's most unabashed pop song to date. Transfusing the melodic timbre of The Postal Service and the eclectic mashups of Hot Chip with the springy guitars of Sonic Youth by way of Guided by Voices, HLAK's "Thrones of Glory" is a sunny bliptronic indie popper.  Marrying a love of progressive electronic production and instrumental wizardry with a spot-on knack for pop-songcraft, Head Like A Kite debuted in 2006 with the Pattern 25 release, Random Portraits of the Home Movie, a universally praised album built around samples from family Super-8 home movies from the 70s. The success of the album led to tours of the US and Japan (with projector in tow) and an appearance on MTV2's "On The Rise" and NPR’s Weekend America. Head Like A Kite continued the climb with a move to LA-based electronic label Mush for the summer 2008 release, There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere, which debuted in the CMJ Top 50, and charted #1 at influential stations such as KEXP. Building on HLAK's found sound meets electronic rock framework with unquestionable expertise, the single "Thrones of Glory" delivers an electronic indie pop anthem leading up to a full-length Head Like a Kite release in March, 2010. Side B’s live version of the crowd favorite, “Blue Merlot in Tokyo,” takes us on a completely different ride, crossing the 808 hip hop dancefloor and smashing analog synths with freak-out guitars that sound a bit like DJ Shadow and LCD Soundsystem drinking moonshine with Ted Nugent. Is it crazy to combine Side A’s pop with Side B’s instrumental hip hop? Maybe. But nothing about Head Like a Kite has ever been predictable. Instead, HLAK clearly prefers shaking things up with infectious party anthems that mingle indie and krautrock with electronic pop and hip hop beats into a flavor all its own. HEAD LIKE A KITE is Dave Einmo, joined live by drummer Trent Moorman, and in the studio by a revolving cast of musical friends. Here's some press from the previous albums "There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere" (2008, Mush Records) and "Random Portraits of the Home Movie" (2006, Pattern 25): URB - "A true genre-twisted party album that appropriately captures the sounds of an eclectic America." ALTERNATIVE PRESS - 5 out of 5. "Gorgeous pop melodies with electronica bleeps." REMIX - "Random Portraits is a beautiful pop album that pays personal homage to the past but has one eye on the future." MAGNET - "Sonic Youth guitar treatments upon Stereolab keyboards on top of Primal Scream-style vocal loops....a well-edited scrapbook of retro-futurism." KEXP -"Quite possibly the best release out of the Northwest this year." THE STRANGER - "Infectious songs filigreed with the sort of vintage synth frippery that gives Tape Op readers sweaty palms." LOS ANGELES TIMES Buzz Bands - "A sonic tapestry." LONDON TIMES - "Great debut album." SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN - (Pick of the Week) "Think Pinback's melodic tonalities with guitar treatments by Brian Eno. HLAK's live shows are an aural-erotic experience." NEW YORK POST - "Intriguing... groovy pop album." ALL MUSIC GUIDE - "This is one of those rare albums that is both immediately accessible and strangely thought-provoking at the same time. Highly recommended." EAST BAY EXPRESS - "Pure pop majesty... this collage of retro memories, wispy Dinosaur Jr. hooks, and indie electropop works without a hitch." SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER - "Excellent debut... Fans should find much love in the band's jerky and often sinister sounds." Featured in Top 10 Bands to Watch in 2006. BEAUTIFUL DECAY - "This album is an experience to enjoy."