 Kite
Operations
"Shiny Beast" CDR EP
K.O.A.
Records
Genres: indie rock, noise rock
band website
May 24 - 30 2004 |
Shiny Beast is the second EP from Kite Operations, a
noisy indie rock band from the New York City area. They have a fairly
abrasive sound, influenced by the likes of Archers of Loaf, Sebadoh,
and even early Pavement. A track like "Titanium"
definitely has some Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and Icky
Mettle tendencies, but lacks the melodic urgency that made those albums so
successful. With that said, however, there are definitely some
positives on this disc; its gritty atmosphere is very impressive, and
there is quite a bit of melodic potential on display, as well.
The EP opens with two somewhat sensitive numbers; to firm emo
haters, the subtly whiny vocals may be a bit much, although this is
more comparable to Pedro the Lion than The Get-Up Kids.
"Titanium" and "Anna Come Out" are the disc's best
songs; they blend wonderful melodic sensibility with a certain indie
rock unsettledness. However, the latter tries to go for a long, Radiohead-esque
vocal bit (no words, just "a-a-a-a-ah") that ends up as a total
trainwreck. As well, the long, instrumental final track is a bit bland
and unnecessary, but shows promise.
Kite Operations have some good ideas, though they will need
to remove extraneous songs (and song elements) if they truly
wish to attain the success they're working towards.
73%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 6 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
