We open with lilting guitars that seem to herald an 80’s alt rock introduction before strummed guitar washes in with a persistent vocal that cajoles and questions. This isn’t staple ‘verse-chorus-repeat’ fare this is far more interesting – as a title track it’s a song that only warms you up for the sonic mash that is to come, Indeed many of you out there will have heard and seen the video for “Australian Melodic Heavy Rock sensations Kaiser and the Machines of Creation (KMC3)” Welcome to the band’s first studio album recorded with the current line-up.
‘Flowers and Lies’ is an interesting album that mixes and blends its influences rather well and its all rather less simple than the ‘Australian Melodic Heavy Rock’ tag the band use in their promo. This is an album of light and shade, progression and simplicity, old and new and a heap of other contrasts.
From the potential singalong of ‘Institute’ through the change the world sentiment and crashing refrain of the Bowie-like ‘We’ll Climb the Mountain’ (which sports some great melodies) you know your in for an unfamiliar ride. For every glimpse of old school Goth – like the suggestion that Peter Murphy might be in the house for ‘In The Mist’ there’s a twist around the corner – like ‘It’s All a Lie’ whose clockwork opening and sparse orchestration makes you think of the Stranglers, its all rather dark, hypnotic and kinda creepy just like we like it.
Half way in there’s more David – ‘Blown Away’ is lighter fare than most here and its this kind of track that points forward with that Bowie-ness: the lilting guitar, with melodies hummed and where unexpectedly that orchestration breaks in that gives it another layer – an almost Beatles-like under-sheen that we see recur again to even greater effect later on.
The crush of ‘Who Decides’ again makes you again think of Bowie but this time with a dark metallic guitar, its perhaps the most accessible track here and the sax is a masterstroke, before the hard rock guitar riffage and Peter Murphy posturings that feel ‘Should the World Fail to Fall Apart’ era come with ‘It’s OK to wake up’ – is one of my favourites, simple, direct and perfectly balanced.
There’s a wonderful epic Beatlesque composition that closes too – ‘Not Tonight Josephine’ is a show-stopper of a tune, and more than memorable. It’s a fine way to close.
“Flowers and Lies” features the current KMC3 line-up of Songwriter/ Guitarist/ Vocalist Paul Kaiser, Steve Anderson on bass, Matt Redmond on keys and Simon Timoshanko on drums. The album was produced by Paul Kaiser and was recorded and edited by Jimmy Balderston at Ghost Note Studios in Adelaide, South Australia.
An interesting blend of Hard Rock, great Melodies The Beatles and Bowie with a dark old school Gothic tang. Very agreeable indeed…
