Kyoto Drive is an alternative rock band from West Midlands, UK. I picked them up when they shot me an email (I suspect it was from my connection to the Matchstick Men) they have an uplifting, poppy sound and infectious, soft vocals and accessible lyrics. One of the things that struck me off the bat was the strength of their backup vocals and their knack for harmonization both vocally and instrumentally. Their sound is cohesive and just all around fun. Kyoto Drive's sound is also very polished compared to other young bands. It is clear they've taken the time to put that little extra bit of effort in to really make their sound clean.
Where I think they could stand improvement:
There were a few issues that stood out for me. The first is that the sound balance isn't quite right on the album; the vocals are a little muted compared to the guitar work. Both elements sound good individually; I would just like to see a little more tweaking the mixing phase.
I also found I couldn’t differentiate between their songs unless I really focused, while it is wonderful that they have found their sound, I would like to see more innovation and verity within the album.
The final issue I had was that they haven't really made their sound their own, yet (I say yet, because I'm confidant in their ability to do so) it sounds like a half dozen other alt-rock/pop rock bands out there. I can certainly see the potential versatility of their guitarist and keyboardist, however it does not appear on the album.
Overall, a fun band whose work I cannot wait to see start appearing on the radio over here in the states.
Here is a link to their latest music video Breathe
Where I think they could stand improvement:
There were a few issues that stood out for me. The first is that the sound balance isn't quite right on the album; the vocals are a little muted compared to the guitar work. Both elements sound good individually; I would just like to see a little more tweaking the mixing phase.
I also found I couldn’t differentiate between their songs unless I really focused, while it is wonderful that they have found their sound, I would like to see more innovation and verity within the album.
The final issue I had was that they haven't really made their sound their own, yet (I say yet, because I'm confidant in their ability to do so) it sounds like a half dozen other alt-rock/pop rock bands out there. I can certainly see the potential versatility of their guitarist and keyboardist, however it does not appear on the album.
Overall, a fun band whose work I cannot wait to see start appearing on the radio over here in the states.
Here is a link to their latest music video Breathe
The majority of their info can be found at the bottom of the vid.
No comments:
Post a Comment