Search - The Kingdom Flying Club :: Non-Fiction

Better than fiction!

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 04/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every now and then, I find an indie-rock band that reminds me why I like the music in the first place. The Kingdom Flying Club -- who just broke out of obscurity with a single to be played on "The O.C." -- are one such band, with their catchy relaxed "Non-Fiction."



Imagine grimy dorm rooms, college radio and stacks of Pavement CDs -- that's what these guys bring to mind. Despite starting out with the solid "Hateshirt," "Non-Fiction" really blossoms when it gets to the midtempo, bouncy "Artists Are Boring." The piano is perky, the drums bounce, and the vocals are full of cheery Britpop flavor.



But don't think that all they have is dancey indierock numbers. They break out with a few solid rock numbers, complete with towering, roiling basslines. And perhaps most entrancingly, the band also ventures into upbeat ballads, mournful piano-pop, and ends with an ominous pop song peppered with electronic blips.



In other words, while "Artists Are Boring" is destined to be the overplayed-until-you-want-to-smash-the-radio single, the best songs of "Non-Fiction" are the slower, contemplative songs. They also keep the album from being all upbeat dance-rock, and give it a bit of heart and soul that many other dance-rock bands lack.



Despite obvious debts to bands like Pavement, Beatles and Superchunk, Kingdom Flying Club sounds extraordinarily fresh and original. Perhaps it's because they don't take themselves TOO terribly seriously -- look at that colorful smiling sun cover. No pretensions there, or in their music.



In modern rock bands, having a lineup of drums, guitar, bass and keyboard is nothing special. It is special, however, to not rely on any one instrument too much -- the rock songs rely heavily on "wall of sound" bass and guitar, while the slower numbers rely more on the piano-pop and jangly acoustic guitar. Add in some violins and brass at the climaxes. The result is sparkly rock'n'roll that never gets boring.



The vocals aren't too special, but they have a certain Britpop flavour (which is odd, since the band hails from Missouri). These guys wobble every now and then, but they've mastered the art of singing love songs with feeling, and interweaving their vocal harmonies.



With excellent music and newfound media attention, The Kingdom Flying Club may be one of those rare bands that actually get the attention that they deserve, in the tradition of the Shins. May they get all that and more."