KRISTI KATES
Tangle
Producer: Kates
(Independent release)

Rarely does an independent release present itself with such finesse.  Kristi Kates debut is just that; a carefully crafted album of modern rock songs that transcends the ordinary. Written and produced by the artist, Tangle is an eclectic mix of songs that works.

Opening with an ode to the 'too much information age,' "Spin" melds jangling guitars with a furious rhythm, and throws in a bizarre warped calliope for good measure as Kates wishes for a pause from the everyday hurly-burly of today's busy world.  Followed by the exhilarating "Anything Under the Sun" and the graceful "Just A Seed," Kates' album draws the listener in immediately with vivid lyrical imagery and melodies you catch yourself humming later, even as they manage to stay out of the realm of the predictable.  In "Wonderful," the two-faced boyfriend the song is about is scoffed at as a nothing more than a "...tornado in a jar," and in "Tesseract," a song with the unusual subject matter of interdimensional time travel, she sings of "...people flat like cutout paper dolls" and "cigarettes (not lighting) when there's no air," bringing an obscure scientific topic to popular music.  

The musicianship on this album is superior, as well;  Kates' clear voice swoops and soars through the songs, complimented by the dense guitars, alternately aggressive and delicate keyboards, and solid drumming. Production throughout is detailed and interesting; each listen peels away layers of sound, bringing to the ear things you didn't notice the first few listens; and the "fall" at the end of "Falling" has to be heard for yourself.  Closing the album is "Snakes and Ladder," a song destined to draw in the headbangers without them even realizing that they're slamming to a song about the virtues of positive energy and the difficulty of not giving up - and it's a good thing Kristi Kates didn't give up, for this album is simply great, and it won't be long before it moves beyond the independent.

- Matthew Murray

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