There’s a nice anachronistic feel to opener ‘The Other One’ that makes you think of bands like Blind Melon or maybe even The Spin Doctors, both Rock bands of yesteryear who added a little added Funk and Groove to their essentially Southern-tinged rock recordings. Add a little summer sunshine, take away traces of the American South and open your ears to a broader musical palette and you get a feel for The Kite Machine.
There’s a rootsy, reggae-tinged almost Police-like twist to single ‘Charlotte’ then the heady smash of Hendrixy-guitar; a John Butler-like feel to ‘Makeshift’ whilst ‘Larry the Bird’ is a cool bluesy instrumental workout, heavy on bass and dripping with cool, it feels almost like a sign to grab another glass. But it’s recent release ‘Sinister Sound’ with its harder edge and Pop sensibilities is the sort of track on which you feel The Kite Machine feel most potent and alive.
Looking further back second and third singles, ‘Paper Plains’ with its gentle strum and winding vocal and ‘Walls’ with it’s contemplative almost ‘eastern-tinged’ aural journey how another respectively gentler and more experimental facet to the bands sound.
Essentially this album collects all the singles, all the way back to their debut ‘The Crook and the Shank’ EP and indeed its that last track ‘The Crook and the Skank’ that might just be the best here, fast and funky driven by some wonderful bass and drums and sent to another place by Anderson’s vocal and that wonderful stuttering guitar.
It’s not Hard Rock exactly but at times it feels inclined that way. If you like your music to blur it’s boundaries with nice frayed edges, then this is something nice and fresh to check out.
The Kite Machine will be celebrating the release of their debut album with a string of headline shows across the country. Don’t miss the chance to see these cutting edge perfectionists deliver one of the countries most visceral and electrifying life performances.
TOUR DATES
Friday 26th April – Geddes Lane Ballroom, Melbourne, VIC
https://www.facebook.com/events/2561995250537688/
Saturday 27th April – Mt Beauty Music Fest, VIC
https://www.facebook.com/events/305722423376052/
Thursday 16th May- The Marlborough Hotel – Newtown, NSW
https://www.facebook.com/events/647443412373556/
Friday 17th May – Howlin Wolf, Wollongong, NSW
https://www.facebook.com/events/537945076734698/
Saturday 1st June – Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC
https://www.facebook.com/events/788513638175574/
Friday 7th June – Halls Gap Hotel, VIC
https://www.facebook.com/events/294856381182799/
Friday 14th June – Barwon Club Hotel, South Geelong, VIC
https://www.songkick.com/artists/5705339-kite-machine
