Fully recovered from my exploits at Sound City 2014 (the cut has healed
and scab has fallen off) it was high time I got back to the reason this website was created, listening to hot off the press music from Liverpool bands creating original music. A few things made me warm and fuzzy about this one, firstly I received a CD. Yes! Not a link to click, but an actual shiny physical CD with a little handwritten note inside, just as it should be. Secondly, it was a 3 piece band, a trio. Whats the big deal I can almost hear you muse? Some of the best sounds that have ever entered my head have been thrown at me by 3 piece bands, they are a dying art, please don’t taint my theory, please don’t shatter my misguided notions. Enough ramble, lets open this cake up.
Drink Me, a five track EP opens its doors with a track called ‘Leave me Alone‘. A vocal drum builder with nicely dropped in backing vocal, you know that hook chorus is coming and BOOM, it’s there. A really full sound has been captured on this track, almost anthem. Nice dirty guitar riff sits in the middle eighth and the track powers, throwing everything at you, grounding the hook in for the last time. Not what I was expecting at all, great opening song.
Live Free or Die, a song with which you start listening to the lyrics straight away. Lovely almost gospel backing vocals; and with the main vocal we almost go all Lou Reed. A song with a message, but with a positive spin. I would really like to hear this track also in just spoken word, quite powerful.
I haven’t given much mention to the rhythm section of KynchinLay, so I’ll do that now. Although I think more people/instruments were involved in the studio making of this track (I’m guessing) everything is bob on, not overly cooked, tight but relaxed. A perfect example is the next track, Public Execution. Again big big sound, a complete song coming from this band, great builds and driving beats overlapped with a vocal that has something to say. In parts to me it’s reminiscent of a smashing pumpkins vibe. I can’t follow that comment.
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The guys have clearly spent time on the EP. That maybe an obvious thing to say, but when I say take time, I mean not settling for a sound until they were happy with it. So many bands can sometimes be overwhelmed by a studio and rightly or wrongly driven by the studio engineer who doesn’t always know best!
Dogfathers. Where did this come from? Has somebody switched my CD over whilst I went for a wee? You know when you’re at a house party and there is always one really happy person, glad he is out and clearly drank too much, this song is that person. Springy guitars and riff, trippy drums and bass, and a vocal which is dipped in a sinister tone. The blend of the two really work. I bloody love this song.
The EP finishes off with a track called My Heart. I can see this song being quite explosive live, but I’m not sure if it’s captured everything it could be in the studio. I always look for a real strong finish to an end track, to me it’s as important, if not more than the opening tune. A decent tune and again delivers a nice hooky riff and builds out effortlessly to a big finish; maybe I have been spoilt by the previous tracks, need to see this live!
Drink Me is a great EP and if you get the opportunity to see KynchinLay live do it, if you get the chance to get your hands on their EP do it. In fact, do both.
Review by Karlos: Follow me on Twitter
