Poor bassists. Doomed to the background, unrecognized and unnameable. Even on records, the bass is often either inaudible or imperceptible, and when it is heard it is often tangled up with the kick drum. Well, bass fans, here’s a band for you: Kid Ikarus, Switzerland’s latest cultural export, is plenty heavy on the bass. This is no Tony Levin/Colin Marsten psycho-crazy bass; after all, Kid Ikarus is a post-rock band and virtuosity is secondary to texture and composition. However, the low-end is a satisfying addition to the guitar-driven post-rock sound, giving this debut LP a fuller sound and adding a pleasant opposition to the guitar melodies.
As is typically the case with this style of music, the spectre of Explosions in the Sky rears its ugly head and begs for comparison. With Kid Ikarus, this happens right from the opening notes of the record, which are inescapably Explosions-esque with their reverbed out, high-register repetitions. This is a short-lived comparison, though, as the Kids show that while the standard effects and amp settings are in play, they are every bit as capable as the Texas foursome at writing compelling music. Around the three minute mark of “Silver & Gold”, the band hits overdrive and steps gracefully into heavier (though not really heavy) territory than Explosions ever has and shifts to a melodic style
that is much more distinctive. From this point on, Kid Ikarus is squarely on its own, free from easy comparisons as first “Heart of Glass” and then “Sinking Ships” combine tension, melody and dynamics to create some deliciously epic post-rock. The latter track hints at Mogwai at points, but never crosses the line into mimicry.
After the bracing run of the first three tracks, the tempo of the album drops off a bit, and one could be excused for believing that the momentum is starting to dry up, but that’s hardly the case. Later tracks like “Everything Is Gonna Change. Or Maybe Not” have a noticeably more reflective, almost fusion/proggy vibe to them, an attitude of serious, analytical musicianship, as opposed to the garage-rock, compose-by-jamming ethic that seems to come through as a subtext in a lot of rock (whether “post” or otherwise). Here, the layering of parts, the quality of the harmony, and the group’s relative dynamics speak to an ensemble that intends to make an impact in the scene and deserves to have every bit as much attention as Mono or EitS.
Kid Ikarus’ self-titled LP offers a snapshot of the band’s evolution in a very well-organized format that shows a group becoming increasingly confident and experimental in its musical vision. This record will get played a lot, because whilst it grabs the attention quickly, each listen brings new discoveries. If you can get hold of this record - which may require importing from Switzerland – it is definitely worth the effort.
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Lee Stablein[свернуть]
19.11.2010, 01:50
Kid Ikarus
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