Hype can very much be a double edged sword, able to conjure up excitement surrounding the imminent arrival of new material. Be it film , music or well anything to be honest. With the release of their brand new album Ken Mode fall victim to the easy prey that comes with an album’s reputation built on an incredibly weak bedrock.
[tracklist]
1. Blessed
2. These Tight Jeans
3. The Owl
4. I Just Liked Fire
5. Management Control
6. A Passive Disaster
7. Failing At Fun Since 1981
8. A Catalogue Of Small Disappointments
9. Dead Actors
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]37:00[/length]
[record_label]Season Of Mist[/record_label]
[release_date]15th June 2015[/release_date]
[/details]
Ken Mode return this year with their new album Success , the striking artwork reminiscent of Tracy Emin meets Andy Warhol immediately strikes your that this band is definitely not going to be ordinary. It really isn’t, from the opener of the slow burning “Blessed” were introduced to the buzzy bass that will be our compare for much of Success . Though working in tandem with the abrasive guitar the band deliver some truly out there material. With off the wall vocal style, singer Jesse Mathewson dictates in that slight statement of fact, singing sense. Feigning anguish well I might add, there is something strangely likeable about Ken Mode however this is not the hallmark of a great album.
Knowing that their fans would be first in line at a new bar exclusively serving ginseng infused yoghurt and picking up artichokes for the Middle class kitchen allotment. Yes, hipsters. Getting back to the record apologies for going completely off piste, I do want to like Ken Mode but it does seem to be that their ideologies tickle the hipster facet. Take track “Dead Actors” for example kicking things off with a pretentious title were blown into something that sound like spoken word until the dishevelled guitars come into the mix.
However there are tracks like Refused nodding “I Just Liked Fire” where the band come together brilliantly and excuse the pun, would ignite many a mosh. Along with the Faith No More – esque “The Owl” with the simple bass guitar commanding much of the track, though the cello placed mid way through works well. It would seem I feel that Ken Mode work best when at their most sombre instead of the banshee like squeals, alas at least for me personally that doesn’t make up the majority of the album. Though single “These Tight Jeans” has some inspired interplay with female vocals. Don’t get me wrong, there will definitely be an appeal for the band. Stating even themselves that the album will be polarising among fans, Success is very much a marmite album.
If you’re a fan of Nirvana, which personally I find incredibly over rated, then chances are you will like Success. There are elements that the record does truly shine, aiming to convey some pretty out there themes but for me it just didn’t quite do it. Perhaps I might be being too harsh, just a lesson. Don’t always believe the hype…
[verdict]Maybe[/verdict]
[why]Though the band might have been talked up to no end, Success cheats creativity. From the misnomer of the album’s title this is most definitely not a triumph[/why]
