Kinski is an instrumental quartet from America's hotbed of independent rock: Seattle. Their third album and Sub Pop debut, Airs Above Your Station follows 2001's Pacifico Records' Be Gentle with the Warm Turtle.
"Mostly instrumental" rock seems to be getting quite popular. With Sigur Rós being the new hip thing, Godspeed You! Black Emperor rapidly expanding their fanbase, Mogwai in Levi's commercials and Unwed Sailor...well, Unwed Sailor is still virtually unknown but you see where I'm going. What was once a foreign concept save a few artsy scenes has (almost) become a trend, and those who began listening with Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada or Agaetis Byrjun are skeptical of new things. I was intrigued by the idea of getting to review an instrumental group relatively new to most listeners, as I am a big fan of the "genre" and equally as critical as I am anticipatory.
On first listen Kinski doesn't strike as that unique. Nothing hops out and grabs the listener's attention, but that is actually the beauty of most instrumental music. You get out of it what you put in, it is up to the listener to associate the emotion with the sound because there are no words to do it for you. What is melancholic to one person may be euphoric to another. The opening few minutes of Airs Above Your Station are quietly filled with a thin layer of soft musical feedback with a few flutes here and there, and this ambient sound can be found reoccurring frequently in the 50+ minutes of the album. Soon it crescendos into what is obviously rock in its most dramatic form. Great production, perfectionist timing and masterful use of instruments and/or effects help Kinski stand out from the initial impression. At times pensive and quiet, at times powerful and rich with echoing emotion, this quartet seems inclined to bring some rock and roll to what has been a more contemplative genre.
Of all the instrumental rock groups I've encountered, Kinski has one of the most traditional set ups. The band relies more on guitars and drums to produce what they hope to be attention grabbing music, using a plethora of effects and occasional forays into more eclectic instrumental fare without having the sheer numbers of instrumentalists found in some of their contemporaries. The result is eight tracks of heavy and at times dark pounding music. Parts of most tracks on Airs Above Your Station could be jam sessions by a talented arena rock band, while other parts could be lo-fi noise of the sort that would please even the most snobbish elitist.
This is an energetic and interesting album that may put Kinski on the map as one of the next big things.
C+
