Evyind Kang & Tucker MartineOrchestra Dim Bridges ( Conduit ) Where to begin? Tucker Martine is a drummer, engineer, producer, and sound collagist who has his own band Mount Analog, aside from working with Hugh Hopper, Sam Rivers & Wayne Horvitz. Eyvind Kang is a violinist (also plays keyboards) who, aside from his solo career (a few fine discs on the Tzadik label), has worked with Bill Frisell and the Sun City Girls. Together, they make groovy, thoughtful, challenging instrumental music that flirts with, flaunts & flout with musical genres. "Braille Oscuro" clashes free improvisation with jagged electronica (think techno, jungle), while "Version Like Rain" is comforting ambient music. "Elegy Elegie" is a gently disquieting sound collage, turning into a tribute to stately Old Hollywood film music (think of soundtracks to movies such as The Ten Commandments or Casablanca), and the title tune is Appalachian ambience with distant echoes of the blues. Mood music? Sure it is, but as such it's a fascinating, emotive blend of a plethora of sounds that is SUPERB mood music. Recommended HIGHLY to fans of ambient/minimalist/dub/film music/New Age/fusionaw, heck, nearly ANYone who appreciates voice-free music. Mark
Keresman 02.09.05
Kang at the helm: Commissioned by the Angelica, Festival Internazionale di Musica in Bologna, EK composed a suite of music for a large ensemble & soloists, including guitarist Tim Young, jazz violinist Michael White & vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle). Drawing upon minimalism, medieval Indian music, late 19th & early 20th century classical music, Virginal Co-Ordinates is stirring and soothing, impressionistic and swinging, and worth the price of admission to hear Patton, the Hendrix & Ayler (combined!) of Voice, sing with uncanny refinement & beauty befitting a classical tenor. Looking for something REALLY different, music that defies categorically any blithe attempt to categorize, you need to seek this, you irrepressible eclectics.
Mark Keresman 02.09.05
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Evyind
Kang  kaospilotkaospilot ( Level-Plane ); 2003 "Blood bath scenario - violence strikes again". The dark, intricate artwork that fronts this disc should clue you in as far as what to expect inside. A faceless young person and a visually lifeless tree: this isn't one of those kiddie rides, this is one of those fast newborn-speed collections of song. It looks as though kaospilot reign from Langhus, Norway (with members names such as Mads & Øystein: chalk up a few bonus points with yr friends), and I'm guessing the neighbors didn't sleep much while these guys were practicing / recording for this self-titled release on Level-Plane. This is very throaty, with vocals atop vocals sharing similarities with oversea imports (and sorely missed) refused and Too Bad You're Beautiful-era From Autumn to Ashes. There are even those particular moments when all the commotion stalls and you get a headphone of spoken word about the "shaken state of youth culture" and "vampire kisses", but the chaos soon carries it way back into the speakers to smack you squarely in the face. You do like heavy, slighlty off-centered angst music right? Then where's your love for kaospilot kid? 'School of assassins' is a damn fine track, starts off kinda open high-hat and chill, but takes no spare time in making way into a full-on victory assault before cutting out here and there with single strummed guitars, giving that kid you just saw hit the floor time to get his tired ass up and decide which way he wants to go. Though I've never been a dedicated individual on the whole "political / anti-" music scene, I do know when I like what I hear, lyric book or not, and kaospilot fuel my hatred towards something. Now I just need to find what needs to be mauled. 11 tracks in all, slightly cresting the 26th minute : rawk on kaospilot(s). + k . 01.05.04 |
Lydia KavinaMusic From The Ether: Original Works For Theremin ( mode ) 2005 Do you want to know just how Brian Wilson's Beach Persons gave us "Good Vibrations"? How did movie directors and their film score wizards keep us spellbound throughout The Lost Weekend until The Day the Earth Stood Still? One word: theremin. Perhaps the first electronic instrument, the theremin - named for its designer, this Russian fellow Leon Theremin - generated eerie sine-waves of sound when a human bean passed his/her hands 'round its "antenna." Music From The Ether presents several varied classical compositions spanning 1929-1996 - never previously recorded, btw - writ especially for the theremin. The music herein ranges from the poised, Slavic folk-inspired tapestry "Fantasia, for theremin, oboe, piano & string quartet" by B. Martinu to the harrowing, virtually confrontational, industrial-strength pieces by Jorge Antunes and Vladimir Komarov. Featured soloist is Ms. Lydia Kavina, whose space-age acumen has been well-displayed on discs by Tom Waits and the soundtracks to Ed Wood and eXistenZ. Attention: noise-mongers of all artistic derivations, whether you're tuned-in to John Cage, Merzbow, Boyd Rice, Pere Ubu, or the Velvet Underground, you owe it to your hep self to partake of this recently remastered, most exceptional platter. Mark
Keresman
10.24.05
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Kayo DotChoirs of the Eye ( Tzadik ); 2003 "Exceptional
beauty" is a phrase that comes immediately to mind. So is "alternate
atmosphere inducing." So is "Romantic in theory and nature"
The fact of the matter is this: if Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Keats
congregated to write symphonic compositions in the vein of Igor Stravinsky,
they would undoubtedly bear a striking resemblance to the five tracks
on this particular CD. It would be ill-advised to refer to them generically
as songs... each track is mammoth in its own right, instantaneously
bypassing any such categorization. These extremely talented musicians
(there are 15 contributors listed) have resurrected the Romantic period
and solidified it through music; a style that slowly dissipated in the
mid-18th century suddenly comes back to life in a new form. By that
I mean, there is both a theory and a triumph stemming from the realization
that the music unconditionally accepts each contribution by each musician
and continues to progress forward in search of something much more majestic.
(See what an English degree with a concentration in text analysis and
literary criticism awards you, kiddies?) Because of that harmony, Kayo
Dot can seemingly do no wrong. Steady, extrapolated streams of sound;
each one has a foundation, then swells, then regresses, then swells
still again... I refuse to call them soundscapes, for soundscapes have
definitive layers and quite simply continue building toward a climax...think
Halo...think Isis...what Kayo Dot has accomplished is nothing short
of atmospheric perfection. Tones and textures and diversity... for example,
the vocalist has successfully bridged the gap between David Gilmour
(think 'Ummagumma') and Michael Gira (think'The Great Annihilator')...
The immediate presumption is that because they are part of a roster
that dwells in the realm of the avant-garde, due mostly to John Zorn's
notorious reputation, they themselves must support said genre. A larger
prevarication... there could not be... There is semblance; there is
structure - once you've detected one particular influence, however (think
pop), they immediately invoke another (think classical). Now before
Kayo Dot, I've had the privilege of experiencing fellow genre-jumpers
Gregor Samsa, so it was not truly difficult to appreciate this
release. (As an aside, if you enjoy Kayo Dot but haven't yet heard Gregor
Samsa, put that at the top of your action item list - if you enjoy Gregor
Samsa but have not yet heard Kayo Dot, please consult above correlation.)
Although I am not all that familiar with this orchestra's first incarnation,
Maudlin of the Well, I am confident in the fact that the two can stand
independent of one another. I have quickly developed a respect for Kayo
Dot without ever really experiencing Maudlin of the Well. I can only
presume that Kayo Dot is a piece of a continuous progression. However,
this said progression could never move on a horizontal plane, a horizontal
plane demands constriction, it must remain level... this will not do,
I say with a dramatic tone... these five flawless compositions ascend
toward the untried and afterward. I know, I know, this review is a bit
much to digest... but, if I only had the capability to play for you
'The Manifold Curiosity' from this disc, I wouldn't have to
write about this at all. Think unparalleled listening experience. Think
'alternate atmosphere inducing, exceptionally beautiful journey deep
into Romanticism'. the egg . zero two one nineteen two zero zero four Orchestra-site:
www.kayodot.net |
KickballHuckleberry Eater ( Houseopolis ) 2004 "Don't you love something 'cause you hate the opposite?" My first listen to Kickball induced confusion: off-kilter, wavering, sparse, stop-start. [Interesting that the album contains a song about stopping & not starting ("stop"). Interesting that that song was the first I heard.] After another listen or two, the herky-jerk of the music had sunk in, and that voice was in my bedroom. I am unable to stop. "Bird in my hand, will you remain where you did land? Bird will you stay, and learn all the secrets my hand has to say?" Someone told me they sound (at times) like Joan of Arc, but I'll have to take his word for it because I've never heard a note of Joan of Arc. To me, Kickball doesn't sound much like anything I've ever heard so I'll make no comparisons of my own. When you hear this "Huckleberry Eater", whatever comparisons you might make, you might not think it music to be played loud. But get yourself on I-93 South on a cold New Hampshire morning at 6:30 a.m., and crank that volume knob. As the sun rises over the white pines and you sing along to the words that have been seeping into your mind, please be careful to not spill that coffee you're holding between your knees. "I'm gonna spend my summer pickin' cherries on Sauvie Island." When you play the song "Sauvie Island" for your wife she will like the softly picked guitar and the brushed drums. She will really like the singer's voice. But most of all she will like the idea of spending a summer picking fruit on an island in the city where you lived when you were first married, back when you had some money and some new glassware. She'll say, "We should do that this summer." And then she'll ask - "Who is this?" When that happens, you say, "It's Kickball, my little Huckleberry Eater." jake
12.12.04
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 Kid GorgeousThis Feeling Gets Old ( Uprising ) 2003 "My only salvation is fucking, fucking and, more fucking" It's a shame really: that I will never be able to bare witness to the live carnage that is Kid Gorgeous. This now defunct quintet out of Buffalo, NY has produced some of the best hardcore to grace my ears. Brutal riffing combined with nail-gargling vocals and pit-inducing breakdowns, "This feeling gets old" is an incredible listen that will never get old. Though mostly indecipherable, the lyrics are some of the most fucked up shit I've ever read. Take the beginning lines from "My life as a bridge": 'If love is inspiration, I beg to differ. I wish you stopped breathing so I could fuck your cold dead brains out. It's like you whispered in my ear, "I love you, but please just stop."' And that's just an example. These cats are hardcore 100%. There is no one real way to categorize this Kid; try combining Throwdown with Burnt By The Sun with an over-traumatized singer. Yea, it's about as close as your gonna get. Also, Kid Gorgeous take the route of others before them using catchy humorous song titles like "Anyone Ever Tell You That You Talk To Much?" "I Know A Girl Named Disease", and "I Hate Myself And Want To Die." Probably one of the better highlights of the album is the intermission. Think 2 minutes of an old 30's western silent film where the piano is playing during a dance scene. Though now no more, Kid Gorgeous have relinquished us a lyrically haunting, awe-inspiring classic hardcore album that is not to be overlooked. cole. 12.13.03 |
the kidcrashNew Ruins ( Lujo ) 2004 "I recall swearing on every mother's grave, I wouldn't write this song" For starters - elelctric heat, the designers for most of the newest stuff we have been seeing come in from Lujo Records (the Christmas Sampler, verana, this release), is doing a stellar job of getting the visual part across. Kudos to you guys - we envy you. There is nothing as appealing to a writer discovering a (in this case, great) new band than good art. Audibly - Lujo has never let us down - and the kidcrash aren't spoiling the streak. New Ruins has Ed Rose credited as the recording man, a fella whose name is attached to some of my favorite releases of the past 5 - 6 years (namely the Casket Lottery, where Rose has been quoted as the "fourth member"). And while the kidcrash could share a bill with the (late) Casket Lottery, the sound the are driving on New Ruins is an equal hybrid of early Engine Down, think the angst of Demure, (see: "Your Valley is Our Volcano") and, don't be fooled by other "imposters", At The Drive-In (see: "Scapel Cuts Concrete"). Yeah, ATDI get as many namechecks in the indie sector as Radiohead in the majors - but I'm not going to sign my name to it unless I hear it - so .. .done. Be it the blend of melodic vocals, the energy that rises from the drums (check out the title track) or the pinpoint accuracy of the strings - the kidcrash hold a strong, bright flame in the sad jungle of pre-fab radio duplicates. 'Impressive' only begins the conversation I want to begin about this band.. go sell 2.5 million. +
k 12.31.04 [the end's not near, it's here]
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 Kill Me TomorrowSkin's Getting Weird ( G S L ); 2003 Take salute - psoriasis finally has an anthem. Praises be to thee (our) lord who art in hell. Skin's Getting Wierd is a prayer answered in the form of song - hall-leigh-lou-yah. My imaginary brother Ed gets this crusty layer of dermal every fall on his elbows & kneecaps (sometimes on his penis), and it lasts pretty much all the way up into the spring. Then it makes a reclusive dive somewhere in his body until the next brittle season. Somebody in Kill Me Tomorrow knows the shame in having conditions of the outer cells, and this song straight answers! Amen. You like torture, do ya'? Well, Put The Time Machine In Your Mouth (Pts. I & II, esp. pt. II) tells the all to unfortunate tale of how folks can get treated unfairly just because the might look a little funny, or have done something a little off the paved path. This poor guy's story in the song [i'm not going to ruin the end for you, I'm not like that] finds our victim treated like an abused animal for well into 3 hours, bathed in a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide until his toenails become as mushy as a sea-soaked loaf of bread. To make matters worse, the bad people play mean movies on the side of my friends face that drives him to the brink of insanity. Thou shalt burn in hell who fucked with my Kill Me Tomorrow member. What's All These teeth About? This song is best listened to while wheeling a stolen car fueled on Cool Mint Listerine through a naked city in the middle of summer - FAST - all while being chased by the Ghost Rider, who just by chance, is carrying the decayed, flaming head of the late great Franklin D. Pierce. Are you scared yet? This great moment in music history has been sponsored by LA's GSL, home of GoGoGoAirheart, JR Ewing & The Locust. Go Go Go Superhero. ++
k a / eb. 01.10.04 |
the Kills No Wow ( RCA! ) 2005 Bringing a sexy, sultry sound that seems enveloped in cigarette smoke and streetlights, the Kills sound distinctly London. No surprise, as both members (one, "VV," only recently) are from the English metropolis: the two members, Jamie "Hotel" Hince and Allison "VV" Mosshart, began as a songwriter-team-by-mail, when Mosshart moved to London. Only two guitars, voices, and a drum machine, the Kills come from the less-is-more school of blues-punk as Jon Spencer and the White Stripes, and over the course of two EPs and a full-length, the duo became known for their razorblade hooks and male/female onstage chemistry. Recalling underground rails and broken lights, their new album No Wow is less concerned with the rattle and stomp of their debut, Keep on Your Mean Side, and even less with the gutter guitar of their Black Rooster EP. Opening with a decidedly lurking drum pattern and murky guitar, No Wow seemingly stalks the listener, hiding in corners and shadowy alleys, never quite pouncing, even on more straight-ahead tracks like "Love Is A Deserter" and "Ticket Man." Guitarist Hotel's riffs are full without being heavy-handed, always reminiscent of knives in alleyways as opposed to guns in daylight. Not as 'Delta' as the Black Keys or bombastic as the White Stripes, the Kills are charmingly subtle and perfectly underwhelming, leaving the listener to want more than the album delivers - a tease that is followed through onstage. And like the sexiest artists, the Kills understand that the only thing that can bring someone back for more is less. Tyler
McCauley 06.14.05 |
Kilowatthours & the Rum Diarysplit EP ( springman / substandard ); 2004 Harry Houdini died in 1926. It was on Halloween to be exact. David Blaine has replaced Copperfield as the magician to witness in the 21st century, but a simple internet search will attempt to explain how he survives in a block of ice for weeks. Many feel it's all the work of the devil. The true magic makers of our times are on this audible diskette - killowatthours & the rum diary, and these guys secrets are rusted under lock and key - no lie. "Poor king, where are your friends now" - This is my first peek into the life & times of the kilowatt crew, and it could easily be the moment of the month where I find myself crying endlessly in a dark corner for not having heard them sooner. Shame on me - these five play a brilliant set of instruments. Certainly not a track anywhere to be overlooked - as each band has crafted such individual & diverse compositions. From the dreamy, Cure-like opener of 'Letting Go' to the gradual build of 'twentysix' - kWh will leave you hungry, but by far not disappointed. "Civilization isn't so civilized" - If you have been paying close attention to my interests over the past few nights, you will already recognize the rum diary name. The guys HAVE to be the hardest working band in the sad republican states of Amerikka. Seriously - if everyone worked half as hard as these guys do, well, work would get done. With a song name like 'Electroencephalograph' (Pronunciation: i`lektrowen'sefulu`graf) - you know these guys are packing heat. By the songs end, the drums have led the band to handclaps & chants - and I swear the campfire could only be just over the hill. Stick close - the nights about to get a bit more intense. '{Ex}Change' is the true split spirit of this release - with both bands combining talents to reveal some truly chilling songcraft. A piano leads you through the thick of the track, with swirls of instruments & kilowatt / rum vocals for added suspense. Does everything the rum diary apply to tape have to be so damn mesmerizing? I think I want to be trapped in a rum diary - life must be good there. 9 songs total - 4 from each side and the partnership of {Ex}Change. Just like the album's art (Marcus Knapp) - perfect. <---
the devil ----> 03.16.04 |
Kings of LeonAha Shake Heartbreak ( RCA ) 2004 At the start of the new millennium, rock and roll was an in an era of promise, an era of untested new bands preemptively hailed as the "future of rock and roll". The Strokes, The Vines, Interpol, The White Stripes: the list of the new rock royalty was diverse and lengthy. However, as the gold rush of new music faded, the sophomore slump reared its ugly head: bands were now held to a standard they didn't have to worry about before. Some bands (The White Stripes, Interpol) bested the beast with time and talent to spare, others (The Strokes, The Hives, The Libertines) faced the slump head on and walked away fair and square, others were consumed and left ashamed (The Vines, the Datsuns). Kings of Leon seemed to avoid the huge press that was lauded upon other "new rock" bands, slipping under the radar with an excellent EP (Holy Roller Novocaine) and a great, if slightly derivative, debut album, 2001's Youth and Young Manhood. The band, three brother Followill and their first cousin, played gritty, greasy rock and roll that was less stylish than The Strokes and less Zeppelinesque than The White Stripes, but twice as authentic and "garage" than either artist. However, the Kings seemed doomed to be a band "big in England", not privy to the mainstream success experienced by their Stroked and Striped brethren. But in 2004, the Kings returned, sans their Cripple Creek beards and with sharper riffs, with Aha Shake Heartbreak, and success now seems inevitable. With their other garage-ed contemporaries holed up in studios and side projects, the Kings' homegrown swagger, commonplace a few years ago, now is in clear contrast with the new wave of.. .uhh. . new wave. Songs like "The Bucket" and "Four Kicks" replicate the shimmy of Youth and Yong Manhood, but the album is nowhere near a holding pattern. "Milk" justifies any claims of the Kings' Southern rock heritage, and "Razz" seems to show the Kings holding court with the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In contrast
to their colleagues, the Kings had nothing to prove on this album,
and that makes this barnburner of a record an even sweeter find: it
doesnıt seem like a justified sophomore album, but a new debut for
a band that deserved another chance. |
The Kite-Eating Treemethod: fail, repeat... ( cowboy vs sailor); 2004 "hold your daughter close it just might spread" - If the name doesn't catch you off-guard, it is somewhat likely that the albums fantatic artwork will. The Kite-Eating Tree, now that is one name that I wish I had chosen for my band. Well, that is if I had a band. Need I explain how bizarre the website is? "But what about the music?" says you - the music is a tough one to put the skinny little fingers upon... . . Opening track 'Softer Seems the Pavement' sounds like a perfect fit for modern radio - it's catchy as hell and has that "wrong" sound that alot of the kids love. But wait - it's better than ALL that shit you've been plagued with on the airwaves, and most every track that follows 'Softer..' veers further from the path of major land. 'Save Your Stares for Strays', one of method:'s strongest tracks, showcases the group as a whole with an incredible Cursive-like opening guitar & expert percussion. What? Why are you begging me to comapare these guys to someone you've already heard? Fine - but remeber, it's called constructive criticism: have you ever heard of Faith No More or Drives Like Jehu - there's a heavy hint of those sounds ('Hollywood Hates' You has a few break-bad moments that pay homage to Mike Patton, circa-1993) on this impressive debut. By the complex sounds of the final track, 'Like Butterscotch', I'm guessing these fellas put on a dazzling live show. Twists, winds and bastard forestry - The Kite Eating Tree await you. Breaking News from Camp Snoopy: The Kite Eating Tree will not be in operation temporarily due to construction of our new ride, Timberland Twister. +
k [03.16.04]__________.... . . . . |