Kinski
Cosy Moments (Kill Rock Stars)Despite crackling to life in a lava bath of disintegrating guitar feedback, Kinski’s sixth album takes a tentative step back from the apocalyptic post-rock pedigree. The Seattle quartet’s hammer-down instrumental passages still evoke epic notions of riff-rock transcendence, but only three of the 10 tracks on Cosy Moments break the five-minute mark. Between shorter song lengths and the centrality of vocals, the album flirts with pop-oriented accessibility on several occasions. “Conflict Free Diamond” and “Throw It Up” favorably harken back to the Northwest’s Nineties heyday, but since Chris Martin’s guitar playing is far more evocative than his singing, their marks aren’t quite indelible. Just as before, the high points require no words. The tight, dynamic spiral of “Counterpointer” deserves its own high-speed car chase, while “A Little Ticker Tape Never Hurt Anybody” conjures contemplation with its delicate, psych-tinged figures. Workmanlike from start to finish, only the brain-stretchers bear lasting distinction. (12mid, Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room; Fri., 10:30pm, Rebels Honky Tonk)
This article appears in March 15 • 2013.