Search - Paatos :: Kallocain

It's not fair.

Aaron David Jennings | all over | 02/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's not fair at all that I'm the first person to review this album. I just got it last night, and haven't stopped listening to it since. Well, okay, so I did put it aside for an exploration of King Crimson's "THRAK", but that _any_ album could draw my attention away from King Crimson's body of work, which I'm currently discovering and obsessing over, is a marvelous achievement.



I know little about this band. I haven't looked into them, their past work, or their members. What I do know is that this isn't any female-fronted rock group. While most bands with a female vocalist tend to downplay the music in favor of "powerful" female singing, the vocals seem to be more like another texture in a beautiful daydreaming landscape of energy, creation, sorrow, and adoration.



The instrumentation itself is comprised of mournful mellotrons, subtle, intricate, tasteful, exploratory jazzy guitar that _really_ weeps, drumming patterns that explore various time signatures, driving rhythms, and what almost seems like dance beats thrown in a blender in an interesting crossbreed of Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto (Mmmm, King Crimson...)'s respective improvisatory jazz stylings and hard-rock grooves. The sonic textures remind me a bit of Radiohead's "Kid A" at its best, but more melodic and less abrasive. Traces of Anekdoten abound.



This is good music. It's just too bad that no one else has reviewed it before, because what you get are basically my first impressions. If my initial reaction intrigues you, take a chance. And write a review of your own... this is a talented band. Four stars because I haven't given it the test of time yet, but I can definitely say that these songs are texturally dense... with lots of melodies, harmonies, and rhythms to sort out and fall in love with as the music unfolds.



Recommended to fans of King Crimson, Yes, Anekdoten, Opeth's Damnation, Porcupine Tree, Portishead, Radiohead, or anyone who feels they need something different in their life."

Outstanding and Unique

D. Means | Yorktown, VA USA | 03/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is that one in a thousand that makes it worth trudging through the other 999 to find a gem! I love it, especially the song 'Look At Us'. The singers voice is very nice, and the instrumental arrangements are quite unique and very well done. Personally, I like this album better than Timeloss, but they are both well worth picking up. The DVD that accompanies this CD is also outstanding but it only has 4 songs on it. I hope they release these albums on SACD and an entire concert recorded in DTS Surround!"