I've tried. Man, I've tried.
The Kindness Kind's vocalist, Alesandra Rose, has spoken of liking songs with mini stories rather than being motivated to write confessional lyrics. The problem is, I have to take this on trust because, try as I might, I can barely understand a word she sings.
It's not even that she screams or that her vocals are buried in the mix - it's simply that as far as I'm concerned she might as well be singing a foreign language.
In other circumstances, given the banalities of most Indie rock, this may conceivably be a blessing. But it's frustrating when listening to this Seattle band because they seem like they may actually have something to say.
After all, they give the impression of having an arty or literary bent. There's the odd name for a start and then there's the fact that they called their first album from 2007 'A Novel'. On top of this, they choose as cover art for their sophomore release a curious Dada like image of man diving from a teaspoon of medicine.
The prominent drums and keyboards give the five piece a rich and competent sound but this alone isn't enough to hold the attention for the disc's half hour duration.
The press release notes that the five piece produce a record with "thunderous walls of sound..... floating melodies and rich melodies", tactfully omitting to enlighten us as to what the seven songs are about.
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From an online interview with the band, I learnt that The Lusk Letter was inspired by a letter Jack The Ripper wrote to a certain Mr Lusk, whoever he was. The contents and purpose of said correspondence remain a mystery.
"Won't you come out to play hide and seek with me" from 'Suckerpunch' is one a handful of lines I made out. Maybe that's why I thought it was the best thing here.
It's not that I'm looking to this group for major insights into the human condition but it's simply that having no meaningful way of getting a handle on these songs meant I just wasn't able to engage with them in any meaningful way. I soon tired of trying to fill in the gaps from the fragments I did catch.
Rose's raspy voice sounds passionate enough but I would suggest that she either works on her diction or else puts us out of our misery by including a lyric sheet with any future releases.
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