FLIGHT B741

Advertised as a return to the band's bluesy roots, this album is fun and energetic but also deceptively deep. The sound is reminiscent of lighthearted 70's rock (think Steve Miller, ZZ Top, or Little Feat), but the performances get uncharacteristically technical, which I find helps alleviate any boredom the tired style might cause. There's always something interesting underneath the swaggering blues harp and the tried and true 12-bar basslines. It's also a very collaborative record, with all members sharing more or less equally in lead vocals and songwriting. It all comes together in a package that sounds like one big party, a band having a great time cruising along (without ever feeling like they've set the cruise control). One could be forgiven for considering this one of their "take a breather" moments the band often slides in between more serious periods in their history (think Fishing for Fishies). But under the façade of whimsy the lyrics create as dark a concept album as KG have ever made. Each song meditates on the methods we use to endure the existential anguish that seems to define life in 2024, especially the unhealthy ones (addiction, thrill-seeking, extremism, developing online identities?). Add that lyrical depth to the retro 70's style, and the album becomes a surprisingly prescient meta-satire on escapism and its pitfalls. Will this band ever make a bad album? Maybe when pigs fly?

Track Rating: Mirage City (9) Antarctica (6) Raw Feel (9) (my personal favourite). Field of Vision (8) Hog Calling Contest (9) Le Risque (7) Flight b741 (7) Sad Pilot (8) Rats in the Sky (6) Daily Blues (8)

Overall Rating: 7.7/10, or, 4 Stars (rounding up)