So being that this is only my second entry since my hiatus and subsequent reboot, what better way to squeeze in a review on a Saturday night (though still a work night) then with a promising little EP titled Start Again.
By the shagginess of their hair, I can tell this is going to be good!
So Kick is a band I've reviewed before and hope to be able to review again. This EP mark the studio return of original drummer (and my adoptive son) Kyle Kennedy. If this group can't make legitimate noise in the music industry, they should just drop the first word from the phrase music industry.
So setting the bias aside, this entry is definitely about me pining for the Twin Cities. As I sit here in my Summit Brewing shirt drinking Hop Silo from a Summit glass listening to a local (To the Twin Cities) band, I'm not yet ready to say moving back home was a terrible decision, but I will readily admit it to not be my best one. So before I drown us all in nostalgia, on to the review!
Album:
Kick - Start Again (I have zero idea's on how to buy this, so I'm linking to YouTube, and you'll have to go see them live which is totally worth it!)
Alcohol:
Summit Hop Silo Double IPA
(Very quickly before this starts, I have no track listing, so I will give the songs names as they go)
The opening track starts humbly enough. The guitar has a nice tone and the whole song feels nice, but a little restrained. I'm thinking this is the title track because I heard "Start again". Ooo. The solo bring in a less subdued feel. I can definitely get a Boston vibe out of this, and I'm totally cool with that.
The transition felt a little rough there... But I like this intro non-the-less. Subtle and a nice kick in brings us into... Slow Burn? It's what I will call it for now because it's definitely the vibe being set up... And builds nicely. These tracks definitely feel prettier or more rounded as apposed to the first EP's edgy and ballsy feel. I like this solo a LOT. Blues and in one sweet solo, there was a flash of that edge I was missing... IT's still there. And the full build of this song is nice. Nice kind of fake out ending into cool actual ending. Like this tune.
Next transition is better, and it comes in with an almost indie rock feel... OR maybe more accurately capturing a 70s rock vibe better than the indie rock tunes that try to do the same... And these guys really hit a modern Boston sound better than modern Boston (and I have a review to prove it!) This tune is a nice good feeling feel goody tune and it's making me feel good. Cool track.
OOO! I love the opening here. I've seen this one done live, and it translates well recorded. This captures a more Zeppelin-y side of Kick. Seriously, these guys are like taking everything good about the 70s and 80s, mixing in the attitude of the 90s, and recording with the tools of now... It's all good. And if this track is any indication, the song writing will only continue to grow. IT's incredible and makes me hate every song I've ever written. Kick is the best band you've never heard. Pretty guitar-ness takes us out, and judging by the timer on the youtube video, this is it.
Final Thoughts:
Kick does less on this to live up to the high energy from the first EP, but launches ahead leaps and bounds in the arena of song writing. My only complaint is that the thing is a FUCKING EP. Seriously, give me full length! You mix the energy of the first release with the complexity of this, and you have a record worth the years wait... Unfortunately society is made up of impatient little bitches, so EP's it is... I'm off track... Find a way to buy this one. Kick needs the money and it's worth more than you can pay anyway. =P
-Badhorse
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