steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Kinetic

"Sun & Glacier" CD

Paribus Records

Genres: rock, indie rock

November 2006

NYC's Kinetic are the newest band to hit Paribus Records, who put out a very strong rock album by a band called Sally awhile ago. Kinetic I find a bit more inoffensive and as a result somewhat innocuous, but there is a decent amount of melodic rock music on Sun & Glacier to satisfy a casual listener.

"A Scene Unseen," for example, is a poppy alt rock number with a decent chorus - nothing special, but enjoyable in its smooth epic feel. You'll simply have to excuse the melodramatic lyrical fare (chorus: "Don't you think I know/What it's like to fall apart?" [x2]). Softer "slow" songs like "As Old As We Are" and "Sarah" could be among Kinetic's finest offerings, producing a decent amount of charm in all their sappiness. Meanwhile, groovy city-at-night "Electrocute" hits a very enjoyable high but milks it a bit at eight minutes. Other songs are also solid, but don't stick out from other rock material (the spacey atmosphere of "Power Lines", the thrilling guitar of "Red Curtain").

Sun & Glacier is a successful release taken for what it is; Kinetic can certainly be forgiven for not putting out a brilliant debut album, and commended for producing a solid and consistent rock record.

mp3 (from paribusrecords.com): a scene unseen

75%

Fun Fact: Kinetic's press release uses phrases like "culmination of their youthful ambition" and "nights spent wrestling sound from busted amplifiers in dusky clubs."

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2006]