Bombed Out Records describe Kelly8 as ‘post-rock’, but there’s enough angular guitar on here to suggest Kelly8 aren’t really ‘psot’ anything. Infact there’s enough rocking guitar here you may need a protractor. This release continues in the Bombed Out tradition of releasing top quality records, and for a label with Nathaniel Green and Dugong on its books you know you’re getting quality. To be sweeping, a lot of bands within the Leeds ‘scene’ base their sound on the artier side of music, and in my haste i wrongly assumed kelly8 would continue this trend. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I was very wrong indeed.
‘The Technique of Pushing Someone Forward’ is a dark record. It has gruff guitar lines which sound like they’ve been taken from the Dischord family of bands almost 20 years ago. Comparisons to Jawbox are more than fair. The guitars batter and twist and drive around a really good female vocal, although if I was to be overly critical, at times I don’t think the vocal is high enough in the mix. The vocals have a Scandanavian tint to them, which makes things altogether more interesting, while the drums pound and the bass follows some intriguing patterns.
The band featured on an edition of the Emo Diaries compilation, which may give a false impression of what the band are like. But with tracks as good as ‘Straight Through Me’ and the driving ‘The Carrier‘, this 12-tracker is a very good listen indeed. Sweden may not be known for its high quality acts in this country, but Kelly8 are really trying to break that notion. This is a really good record and well worth checking out.
www.kelly8.com
Bombed Out
Paul