-
Bands to Watch in 2009
[+ Show ]
A band that sent me their music a couple of months ago makes seductive music that has grown on me du...A band that sent me their music a couple of months ago makes seductive music that has grown on me during this time. They are called Klum from the Los Angeles area town of Monrovia, California.
Their new release We Carelessly Turned Amazingly Into Nothing is bound to be a big deal if the right people pay attention. Mixing lush layers of horns, keyboards, accordions, guitars, drums, bass and memorable vocals, Klum pumps out masterfully celebratory tunes with clear overtures to bands like Arcade Fire, Beirut and others. But no matter how many comparisons are made, Klum's musicianship, it still will not do justice to their potential impact on the 'indie scene.'
How is it possible that Klum isn't occupying major space on blogs and mainstream music sites? From the first listening to now my tenth or so listening of Carelessly, I and others at the cafe are baffled how these cats slip under the indie radar (for the most part).
Imagine: take all the most amazing sonic experiences you can think of and roll them up into one fat 'on-repeat' album. It's a musical adventure, a tour de musica, a trip of a lifetime. Tune in to these sample tracks from Klum's fresh release We Carelessly Turned Amazingly Into Nothing. This is good stuff.
As they say in their own profile: "Klum is constantly compared to many indie bands, but there has never been one distinction of who or what they sound like." Yup
-
A Live Show Review - May 2009
[+ Show ]
I’ve been to The Scene bar a couple of times this year so far and Wednesday night was the first time...I’ve been to The Scene bar a couple of times this year so far and Wednesday night was the first time I saw the place get pretty crowded. I don’t know if it was because people were just itching to get out and see live music or if it was because they knew that a really naughty, delinquent, 1950’s, bad girl movie would be projected…I hope there was a full turnout because they knew Klum was playing! Klum is the Monrovia based band that I went to go see Wednesday night.
I watched the maniacal process of setting up the drums, mics, amps, etc. Then there was the sound check…about 40 minutes later Klum began their set and only because the sound guy thought it was good enough. I have left venues because of a slow set up, but I knew my wait would be worth it, as it usually is. So, there are six members in Klum and they all play a couple instruments each. It was pretty amazing to see them switch between instruments because there were just sooo many. I would best describe Klum’s sound as indie-orchestral. A mini orchestra with a big sound. The vocalists in the band are very rich and the two boys who sing compliment one another just perfectly.
Watching them switch between instruments and change stage positions was captivating. It was like watching a perfectly timed machine make art. They played songs from their new album that just came out in March called, We Carelessly Turned Amazingly Into Nothing. They performed a song off the album called, “Bashing for the Kids.” This song performed live is pretty intense. It was performed with as much vigor as they could possibly muster up. Klum gives a powerfully raw performance. It is cool to know that there is some representation from the East side! They will be playing at Bordello on May 6th. Gooooo!
-
Obscure Sound Review
[+ Show ]
Urban legends and Hollywood productions certainly have a hand in molding the common perception of be...Urban legends and Hollywood productions certainly have a hand in molding the common perception of being in a band. Want a bowl of M&Ms in your room after the show, with all the brown ones removed? It’s on the way, sir. How about suggestively introducing some groupies to live seafood? Sounds fun. Between urban legends like these and the handful of pseudo-rockumentaries in the vein of Almost Famous, the romanticized concept of existing within a popular band has existed at least since the British invasion’s introductory use of rock ‘n’ roll stereotyping in the early ‘60s. Since that time, what these aspects of film often seem to overlook are the artistic obstacles involved in this creative process. They instead choose to focus on the overly grandiose lifestyles and unique personalities of the band members themselves, often showing artistic struggles as the result of drug addiction or non-commitment. After all, what is going to sell more: sex and drugs or watching an aging band attempt to write songs together? Commercialism tells us that it is the former, so it remains difficult to criticize these filmmakers for attempting to make the elements of existing within a popular band accessible and engaging. To deal with such expected fallacies though, looking at the reasons for the California-based Klum’s imminent success should enlighten many fans in regard to the inner-workings of a successful group more than any overly dramatized film or VH1 special.
When one looks back upon the most successful rock groups of the 20th century, it is distinctive that practically every group was based on collaborative quality. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd all had some members that attracted the spotlight more than other members, but their mutual infusion of collaborative quality was a distinction that allowed their music to live without any major constraints that ended their careers as a group too abruptly. Many of these groups included members that could pick up nearly any instrument and start strumming away to perfection, indicative of their musical talent but also of their willingness to make communication between members as clearly as possible. Instrumental differences are a common detriment to a cumulative songwriting process, as the greatest songwriters tend to exhibit audible mastery of every instrument included in their work. Being a multi-instrumentalist or at least having a respectable grasp of a broad array of instruments makes working with others significantly easier, as their ideas can be extracted easily and fused with others to create something genuinely worthwhile. The six members in Klum are all multi-instrumentalists and it allows their songwriting to serve as a display of an extraordinarily impressive cumulative effort, reinforced by a mutual dedication to melodic astuteness and successful pop experimentation that each member demonstrates in their own unique way.
Klum’s second full-length album, We Carelessly Turned Amazingly Into Nothing, can show the band’s excellent chemistry just in the quality of the eleven songs alone, but experienced listeners will likely walk away more impressed by their ceaselessly unpredictable approach and tactful cohesiveness. Klum delivers the type of experimental pop music that hardly sounds experimental, an oddly exciting result that derives from infectious melodies, uplifting brass arrangements, and an unpredictable assortment of instrumentation and vocalists. As far as the classification of their genre goes, Klum and their efforts on We Carelessly Turned Amazingly Into Nothing are not restricted by any linear stylistic identity. “For Sale a New Life” plays like an amiable indie-pop charmer with its twinkling keys and ukulele accompaniment, while the fascinating “The Showmen” benefits from boisterous electric guitars, backing pub-like yelps, and concise brass arrangements. The former sounds like some spawn of Unicorns and The Leisure Society, while the latter finds distinctive comparisons to Elbow, British Sea Power, and art-rockers in the vein of Franz Ferdinand and Dogs. These comparisons alone suggest a vast difference in style on a track-by-track basis, which is true. But what must not go overlooked is Klum’s apparent ability to implement the stylistically diverse into a style that is honest, unique, and something that they can truly call their own.
While “For Sale a New Life” does a great job of showing off the band’s indie-pop leanings and “The Showmen” fulfills the task of successfully exposing Klum’s grittier, rock-oriented side, it is a few of the more interesting tracks on We Carelessly Turned Amazingly Into Nothing that really make it one of the most memorable debuts of the year thus far. The opening “Bashing for the Kids” plays with over-the-top guitar riffs and ardent vocal deliveries in a way that Black Kids would envy, indicative of Klum’s ability to bring out the expressively effective without appearing melodramatic. In fact, Klum seem free-spirited and fun most of the time, even during the somber chamber-pop balladry of “My Baby’s Just Stardust” and the twinkling build-up to the distorted angst of “Our Monster’s End.” Perhaps the biggest gem on the album though comes from “Nonbeliever”, an undeniably fist-pumping frenzy of a track that shows the group’s talents most prevalently. The various vocal melodies howl like wolves at the moon when the first verse is introduced, led astray over a catchy piano progression and a variety of samples that allow the song to be simultaneously haunting and infectious. The overlapping vocal harmonies of Brock Flores, Joe Fraley, and Aaron Arkenburg allow concurrent high-pitched and low-pitched vocals to supplement the brilliant intricacies of “Nonbeliever” as it flawlessly concludes the track. “Nonbeliever” should be all a listener needs to be convinced of Klum’s blatant ability, but the likes of “For Sale a New Life” and “The Showmen” also do a fine enough job. In fact, if I were forced to choose one track to represent this album, it would prove extraordinarily difficult. We Carelessly Turned Amazingly Into Nothing is too consistently memorable for such linear classifications
-
L.A. Based Klum's 'Victory'
[+ Show ]
"Asleep at trial", the second track of the album starts off with a voice akin to Thom Yorke's, befor..."Asleep at trial", the second track of the album starts off with a voice akin to Thom Yorke's, before descending into a mish-mash of sounds similar to an Arcade Fire live show (always a good thing!)
"Breathe Machine" is the perfect soundtrack to a good night's dreaming: disembodied voices in the background, gentle, organ-like keys and the soothing vocals of Brock Flores. Slowly "I can't dance" fades in, and the dream continues, floating over epic sounds that are akin to early Radiohead.
Perhaps one of the most vibrant tracks of the album, "I sing the song wrong" is full of hidden little sounds, from the child-like keys at the start, to the percussion throughout, and bird-like guitars and weird sounds at the end, its songs like this that show what Klum could be in a few albums time.
-
Radiohead Sound-Alikes Up to Par
[+ Show ]
"They've got enough talent to border on overwhelming."
"Drawing strong comparisons to Radiohead and..."They've got enough talent to border on overwhelming."
"Drawing strong comparisons to Radiohead and Muse, the album shows a type of indie rock that is not foreign to the musical landscape but still manages to sound endearing enough to warrant acclaim."
"If you're in search of an album that showcases local talent that is worthy of international acclaim, Victory All My Life proves to be a victory in itself."
4 out of 5 stars!
-
"One of the strongest debuts of 2006"
[+ Show ]
"Full of moody, melodic rock songs which conjure up a wealth of imagery, Victory All My Life ably ca..."Full of moody, melodic rock songs which conjure up a wealth of imagery, Victory All My Life ably captures the band’s potential. The album suggests the possibility of Klum one day infiltrating the ranks of bands who manage the rare combination of being both commercially successful and artistically viable."
"The band and co-producer Matt Brown (of Trespassers William) do an excellent job of focusing on and highlighting points of nuance that allow the album’s best material to both distinguish itself and remain in context. Victory All My Life features some of the best producing and arranging one could find on a self-released project, sounding professional without feeling unnecessarily polished."
"Such excellent production is heard on tracks like “Breathe Machine”, which starts delicately with an organ drone and then patiently evolves into a mid-tempo rock track driven by atmospheric guitars. “I Can’t Dance” spotlights the harmonic interplay between Brock Flores and Joe Fraley and features understated horns. The album’s finest track, “Villains and Their Pets” is a chaotic brew of pulsing rhythms, soaring vocals and dynamic piano figures."
