As Capdown blazed through the UK underground they left in their wake a number of competent soundalike bands prepared to work hard to try and make a name for themselves. Kenisia, without a doubt, were one of these. ‘Nothing to Say’, their first release via Household Name and their second album was a decent collection of skacore songs that had moments of genius spread throughout a generally solid album, but the departure of their old vocalist Alan Cains (being replaced by their trumpet player, James Lambeth) has seen them veer away from the familiar punk with horns sound towards something more soul-inflected. Well, that’s the idea.
The difficulty with ‘Prototype’ is that the name sums it up – it sounds like a band meandering towards finding their own sound. Even though early Kenisia was undeniably derivative, it nevertheless possessed enough bite and energy to ensure repeated listens. The enigmatic ‘(Songs About) Robots and Plastic Clouds’ is the nearest they come to creating something unique, as ‘Explosions of Red’ and ‘Disagree’ are handicapped by the fact that they have no discernable coherence. It’s a shame, because Kenisia are clearly talented but unable to strike out in one particular direction.
That’s not to say that ‘Prototype’ has no redeeming features, just that it doesn’t actually make much sense. Give them another couple of years to fully adjust to their new line up and its consequences for recording, and they could be worth another shot. As it is, ‘Prototype’ sounds like it should have been an intriguing EP, rather than an intermittently dull album.
Ben
http://www.kenisia.co.uk/
http://www.householdnamerecords.co.uk/
