Those two minutes a day, when four felicitous figures align on a digital clock. Some people call it “wish time.” Others call it “sticks.” For many, it’s an occasion to smoke. “Eeeleven, eeeleven, eeeleven, eeeleven,” Keith Galloway robotically intones over arpeggiated synth notes that sound like little bubbles rising up in a freshly poured Sprite. The delightfully discontented “11:11 (WHAT TIME IS IT?)” rides a lab-grade beat concept where woodblock and coach-whistle fold into a dirty drum kit and programmed percussion. Meanwhile, Galloway inhabits no less than five drastically different vocal modes – from heavy-lidded pop croon to high-gain falsetto.
On 2021’s Take What You Need, the UT music schooler sounded lovelorn, longing, in-his-head with memories. The six-sided Don’t Talk to Me >:( spins more sonically experimental, tonally complex, and … fun. Opener “COOL” is an insane 85 seconds, going from electronic to dreamy indie R&B to jazz-inflected while harping on a sound bite: “Better lose that energy!” A keyboard-dominant work in whole, traditional trio-style organ pierces the feel-good bump of “WINNER,” the collection’s pop moment. Its hip-hop moment? That’s Chucky Blk’s speedy poetry section of “DO YOU LOVE ME,” where he expresses, uniquely: “Masculinity’s toxic tendencies are detrimental to everyone present/ So from this point we’re venerating gentleness.”
Lyrically, KindKeith considers maturing out of online video game culture with “Let’s Plays” and achieves a Ween-like goofiness on balloony indie-pop closer “SO GREEN!!!” but then a superbly squelching double jazz solo reminds us that Keith Galloway is a cold soul on the keys.
This article appears in July 8 • 2022.