What do you get when you cross an art student/pianist from Presov, Slovakia, an American with a knack for singer/songwriter, and a tiny girl from Bremen, Germany that has strong command of a drum set? If you haven't guessed yet, the answer is Kubist Hall.
Kubist Hall are sort of singer/songwriter with a pop flare, Pop more closely related to Keane and George Michael's mellow years than Boy George or Britney Spears. The album is led mainly by the strong piano work and Kurtz's unassuming voice. "Fire" is probably the best example of what Kubist Hall has in them. Its flare for the dynamic really helps it to become a song that almost any music fan could relate to. The band is really dynamic throughout the whole album and in that respect you could arguably find similarities to heavy hitters like early Radiohead or more recent Coldplay albums. The laid back, almost blues sounding "The Gloom" is very anthemic. As a matter of fact, if the lead were translated to a guitar it wouldn't be hard to imagine a blues artist tackling the song. The semi-progressive "In Wonderland" is worth a mention as well and is probably Kurtz' best vocal moment, especially when he lets his voice loose a bit in the chorus. Same goes for the track immediately following, "Hey You."
Overall this is a good CD. It's not great but it doesn't make you want to turn it off either. The band has a really strong command of the dynamics throughout the album but somehow it manages to still come off as reserved sounding in my opinion. I found myself waiting and waiting for the band to really let it go but the moment never came. No matter what, this is a strong debut from production to writing to packaging and with a little guidance from a veteran or two and some major label cash behind it, it wouldn't be hard to imagine it really taking off.
2/4
