dat scene kid
06/30/09, 09:51 AM
Kirkland - When You Got It, You Got It
Record Label: Unsigned
Release Date: May 30, 2009
"How many people almost famous/You almost remember what they name is/Like “Hey, didn’t you play in..? No it couldn’t be, quit playin” - "Us Placers"- Child Rebel Soldier
When Kanye spit this line in the Thom Yorke-sampled "Us Placers" (seriously, check the track out if you haven't heard it), I knew exactly the people he was describing. Think of Ben Savage in Boy Meets World? The chick who played Julie the Cat in The Might Ducks trilogy? (D2 and D3 to be exact). They had their association with a solid project, but their wasted potential or that little something missing caused them to fall short of a secure spot in our memories.
Ok. Is anyone still with me after that far-fetched and reference-heavy analogy? Cool. Well to get back on track, with their newest record When You Got It, You Got It, the boys and girl in Kirkland fall under that "almost famous" category.
A lot of the tracks on the album show a lot of promise. The opening track, the Forever The Sickest Kid's-esque "Whoa, Whoa," carries thundering drumming and huge guitars over humming keys. Dual male and female melodies converge into a catchy chorus. "Whisper" continues the trend of huge choruses with "whoa-oh" gang vocals, before the bleeping synths fade into the background for an unnecessary, but all the more bad-ass, guitar solo. The indie jangle of "The Incredible" shows off the Illinois based-band's ability to create a lush atmosphere that most power-pop bands cannot.
I'm pumped after the first couple tracks, but then I hit a wall because, well, that's what the album does. The disc's middle tracks get you cruising along before hitting a speed bump that derails the rest of it. "6th Street" shows promise with more dual-vocal play and weaving guitar lines, but a cheesy chorus that is repeated far too much sinks the track. "Gunfighter" begins with spooky, tinkly keys and electronic drum taps before stomping into a chunky power riff. But as I was about to dub this their best and most interesting track, extremely over-Auto-tuned vocals and techno-pumping beats cut in and I'm left just shaking my head (especially at the awkward spoken word outro).
In between the squandered potential of some of the album's songs, there are tracks like "Ghost of a Trainride" and "Downsizing" that lack something. While both songs are solid pop fare, they feel half-hearted and bland.
Despite the album's hot start and early interesting song concepts, "Simply Devine" and "Believe It Or Not" end the album on a restrained note, offering up a cliche string-heavy ballad and a lifeless straight-up rock track (respectively). I don't know if it was a conscious choice to back-load the album with so many "safe songs," but the listener can clearly hear the lack of emotion, power, and inventiveness that was ever-present in the album's openers.
Ultimately, this causes Kirkland to emerge out of When You Got It, You Got It without a signature sound. They explored some interesting ideas and show both their talent and a willingness to try new things (despite my dislike for "Gunfighter", I give them props for giving such a risky song a shot). Yet, their sudden abandon of that artistic curiosity stunts the progress of a potentially promising disc.
Although they have plenty of time and talent to cross the rubicon into all of our memories, for right now, Kirkland remains as "almost famous" as Stillwater. (C'mon...I know you were waiting for that reference.)
Forever The Sickest Kids, synth-heavy stuff, 90's pop-punk, Houston Calls
http://www.myspace.com/kirkland
Record Label: Unsigned
Release Date: May 30, 2009
"How many people almost famous/You almost remember what they name is/Like “Hey, didn’t you play in..? No it couldn’t be, quit playin” - "Us Placers"- Child Rebel Soldier
When Kanye spit this line in the Thom Yorke-sampled "Us Placers" (seriously, check the track out if you haven't heard it), I knew exactly the people he was describing. Think of Ben Savage in Boy Meets World? The chick who played Julie the Cat in The Might Ducks trilogy? (D2 and D3 to be exact). They had their association with a solid project, but their wasted potential or that little something missing caused them to fall short of a secure spot in our memories.
Ok. Is anyone still with me after that far-fetched and reference-heavy analogy? Cool. Well to get back on track, with their newest record When You Got It, You Got It, the boys and girl in Kirkland fall under that "almost famous" category.
A lot of the tracks on the album show a lot of promise. The opening track, the Forever The Sickest Kid's-esque "Whoa, Whoa," carries thundering drumming and huge guitars over humming keys. Dual male and female melodies converge into a catchy chorus. "Whisper" continues the trend of huge choruses with "whoa-oh" gang vocals, before the bleeping synths fade into the background for an unnecessary, but all the more bad-ass, guitar solo. The indie jangle of "The Incredible" shows off the Illinois based-band's ability to create a lush atmosphere that most power-pop bands cannot.
I'm pumped after the first couple tracks, but then I hit a wall because, well, that's what the album does. The disc's middle tracks get you cruising along before hitting a speed bump that derails the rest of it. "6th Street" shows promise with more dual-vocal play and weaving guitar lines, but a cheesy chorus that is repeated far too much sinks the track. "Gunfighter" begins with spooky, tinkly keys and electronic drum taps before stomping into a chunky power riff. But as I was about to dub this their best and most interesting track, extremely over-Auto-tuned vocals and techno-pumping beats cut in and I'm left just shaking my head (especially at the awkward spoken word outro).
In between the squandered potential of some of the album's songs, there are tracks like "Ghost of a Trainride" and "Downsizing" that lack something. While both songs are solid pop fare, they feel half-hearted and bland.
Despite the album's hot start and early interesting song concepts, "Simply Devine" and "Believe It Or Not" end the album on a restrained note, offering up a cliche string-heavy ballad and a lifeless straight-up rock track (respectively). I don't know if it was a conscious choice to back-load the album with so many "safe songs," but the listener can clearly hear the lack of emotion, power, and inventiveness that was ever-present in the album's openers.
Ultimately, this causes Kirkland to emerge out of When You Got It, You Got It without a signature sound. They explored some interesting ideas and show both their talent and a willingness to try new things (despite my dislike for "Gunfighter", I give them props for giving such a risky song a shot). Yet, their sudden abandon of that artistic curiosity stunts the progress of a potentially promising disc.
Although they have plenty of time and talent to cross the rubicon into all of our memories, for right now, Kirkland remains as "almost famous" as Stillwater. (C'mon...I know you were waiting for that reference.)
Forever The Sickest Kids, synth-heavy stuff, 90's pop-punk, Houston Calls
http://www.myspace.com/kirkland