"The recent releases from Channels, The Bomb and Samiam got me very excited again for that particular sound I love, the genre many dub "post-punk." (Yes, cheery visions of Jawbreaker, J Church and Knapsack were dancing in my head). Sadly, "punk" in 00s has been dominated by MTV-friendly emo yelpers and screamo growlers. It's about time we get back to some well-crafted sonic goodness.
Brett Johnson, the bass player for the hip-hop group "Atmosphere," has taken up the task admirably with his band Kingfield, balancing thick layers of melodic punk with a just a sprig of good old fashioned prog-rock. This is especially evident on the impressive "More to This Than You Know" and "Can't Go Back." Johnson's voice and no-nonsense delivery is reminiscent of Bob Nanna of Hey Mercedes/Braid fame and never battles for attention against the giant sinuous riffs that propel the majority of songs. Kingfield produces a heavy but not overwhelming vibe, bringing to mind the cutting melody and complexity of Jawbox ("Witches") one moment and epic scale of Soundgarden the next. Kingfield can also kick out some serious straight-up rock songs too. Feel the 1-2 pop punch of "Penny" and my fave, the grooving "You Never Let Me Down," where Johnson lets his vocals rip and a bitchin' little guitar solo (remember those?) sneaks it way in the mix." - Used Wigs
"Kingfield swindles indie rock with nasty almost nu-metal riffs and drops some alternative pop hooks that sweat you out. “Letters Port Mortem” is a surprisingly polished album that dashes to the left and right of the typical clichés that plague bands that are as near to the various sub-genres that Kingfield embraces. The vocals are pretty spot-on and the guitar tone is damn fine." - J-Sin
"Going into Kingfield I felt that I was going to review it blindly. Admittedly I didn't know a thing about the band, and his background didn't inspire confidence in me (bassist for a hip hop group? ok, cool.). The name was ambiguous and his lyrics weren't enough for me to decide what genre they were. So I spun the CD, and was fairly happy with the results.
Kingfield is an indie rock group out of Minnesota. With the standard lineup of most rock bands (2 guitar, bass, drummer) the band didn't set out to change the world with "Letters post mortem", which is their debut album on on Blue Worm Records. Where they didn't aim to seek for separation from the indie scene...they ultimately succeeded. Each track on the record has a different feel then the last, which hurts the flow but in the end makes for a diverse record, so you are always left sort of wondering what comes next.
Headed by Brett Johnson, bassist for hip hop group Atmosphere, Kingfield was able to make a solid-if-above average record. The music as best I can describe is Green Day with another guitarist and a heavier sound. Giving almost a punk vibe Brett has written average lyrics with good hooks and a solid vocal delivery.
While I cannot say this album was amazing, I can say it was solid. The instruments on the record melt together well and offer something a little different then everyone else. Johnson delivers solid hooks behind catchy punk-rhythm and in the end we have a fun record. "Letters Post Mortem" will not find itself on the top of a "Best of.." list, but I can easily see it getting a solid rotation in my collection. " - musicemissions.com
|
