Kings of Convenience
Declaration of Dependence
Astralwerks (2009)
After almost five years since their last outing, the Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience have returned with their third full-length, Declaration of Dependence. Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe are best known for weaving simple acoustic melodies into lush pop songs akin to a modern day Simon and Garfunkel. Although a return to this musical style is nothing new these … Read more
Kings of Leon
Because of the Times
RCA (2007)
Kings of Leon: the South's answer to rock and roll. Their dirty, sometimes bluesy, sometimes alternative rock can get even the drunkest college kid pumped and ready to roll. That drunken college kid "" I call him Joe Jack "" won't be disappointed with their newest album Because of the Times. On Because of the Times, the rock-o-meter is definitely … Read more
Kira Jari
Spooky Freaky EP
Dirt Cult (2019)
Spooky Freaky is a good debut from an intriguing new-ish band from Texas. Even if the EP name makes me think of “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” each time I read it.The band is similar in sound to a lot of bands I enjoy: Tiltwheel and Leatherface, for example — which is why it bugs me a little to say that one … Read more
Kiss the Gunner
Why are We so Dead?
Harvest Earth (2007)
I can remember being seven years old and staring bleakly at the television screen while Magic Johnson announced to the world that he was HIV positive. It was late afternoon on a grey fall day and I was sitting on the living room couch with my father, unable to fully grasp either the gravity of the situation or the defeated … Read more
Kissed by an Animal
Kissed by an Animal
HANDSTAND RECORDS (2019)
Kissed by an Animal is getting the vinyl treatment a year after release of their self title album from 2019. To describe these guys, well it’s hard to nail down a specific style that the Brooklyn, NY based band is trying to hit. To be honest, this album is hard to get use to in general.To prepare for a review … Read more
Kite Party
Baseball Season
Animal Style (2012)
Kite Party reside and make music in Philadelphia, PA. They’ve released some well-received EPs over the last half-dozen years, and seem to have done a lot of live performing too. Their debut full-length, Baseball Season, was self-released in 2011, then picked up by Animal Style Records and re-released in early 2012.My initial reaction upon dropping the needle and hearing the … Read more
Kitten Forever
Pressure
Guilt Ridden Pop (2013)
Pressure is a party. The three-piece band Kitten Forever trade off vocals constantly throughout, and even swap instruments while they’re at it. It starts off with a 43 second intro track of vocal switcheroos and handclaps before shifting into the muddy “Cry Baby” that sets the stage well for their alternating tones of distorted punk and happy-clap sing-song. While the … Read more
Kitten Forever
Semi-Permanent
Independent (2018)
Kitten Forever are staples of the Twin Cities DIY scene. They also tour nationally and have received a good share of recognition for their unique merger of party punk and vitriol. Overall, the three-piece plays fuzzy, stripped down ragers that alternate between screaming frustration and bopping good times. Semi-Permanent is their fourth full-length and the general tone over the 11-song … Read more
KK Null
Oxygen Flash
Neurot (2009)
You might not know who or what KK Null is (or his band Zeni Geva), but rest assured his twenty plus years of activity in music has given him the opportunity to play all over the world and collaborate with a variety of musicians and bands from Sonic Youth, Mike Patton (Faith No More, MR. Bungle, Tomahawk, etc), Steve Albini … Read more
Know the Score
All Guts, No Glory
Goodbye Blue Skies (2005)
Some might say that hardcore has gone soft. Those that feel this way have a distorted view of the genre. Hardcore is as explosive and assertive as it has been since its very inception. Florida hardcore outfit Know the Score is a prime example of this. With their debut release, All Guts, No Glory, the band serves up eleven tracks … Read more
Know the Score
All Guts, Still No Glory
Eulogy (2008)
We don't care about your labels and your fucking trends / We only care about the music and hanging out with our friends / So stand to the side and don't get in our way / Kids like you drop out of hardcore every single day. This quote from "Pep Talk" sums up what Know the Score is about. Playing … Read more
Know the Score
All Time Low
Eulogy (2006)
A lot of bands get labeled as "angry" or "pissed off" as a result of their lyrical content, and I'm sure you could apply those same adjectives to Know the Score. However, I feel that doing so would be doing a great disservice to them, not to mention those descriptions are rather played out. I feel a better way to … Read more
Kodaline
In A Perfect World
RCA (2013)
Mohill is a rural Irish village in county Leitrim, it's nice, quaint and generally doesn't divide opinion. To use an Irishism: sure it's grand. It's also where the majority of the songs on Kodaline's debut album In A Perfect World were written. In effect what Kodaline have done is written a powerful, evocative album, that has them on the precipice … Read more
Kodiak
Self Titled (Collection)
Denovali (2011)
Even in this so-called digital age of information where anyone can have anything delivered right to their mobile phones in the blink of an eye, there are still moments where items, music, movies from outside of your physical domain slip by completely unnoticed; and, quite frankly, this whole circumstance is proof to me that there is still some mystery left … Read more
Koko Beware
Something About Summer
Independent (2012)
I have to be honest here. A band named after a professional wrestler, no matter what they sound like, is going to tug at my heart strings in a way that’s totally unfair to all bands that are not named after professional wrestlers. I also love summer, summer jams, and any jams that evoke some sort of summer-ness. And with … Read more
Kollegah
Monument
Alpha Music Empire / Warner Music (2018)
The last few years have seen a good amount of great German hip-hop albums, however, now there is Monument. Kollegah’s previous emissions are outstanding, but the way he bookended the rollercoaster ride that the year 2018 proved to be for him is the evolutionary apex of an artist who has honed and refined his craft over the last fourteen years, … Read more
Kongh
Sole Creation
Agonia (2013)
As I begin writing this review, we have barely scratched the surface of the new year. Still, I somehow find myself compelled to proclaim that I have already heard the best album of 2013. In 2009, Kongh released Shadows of the Shapeless. The album was an impressive example of the band’s epic take on doom metal. Now, the Swedish trio … Read more
Korova
Another Happy Customer
Victimized (2009)
Korova are a DIY hardcore band from Alabama. They wear their influences on their sleeve, with latter-day Black Flag being the predominant one throughout Another Happy Customer, though other 80s bands pop through their discordant surface. The minimal, noisy tracks separate the band from a number of their crustcore peers, but they definitely developed their songwriting from 80s thrash and … Read more
