Bent Knee

This wonderful new band from Boston needs an appreciation thread.  I just recommended them in a watsapp group of music fans and dubbed them as "sort of like Mars Volta with a (better) female vocalist".  That's a quick description but in reality, their sophomore album Shiny Babies is way more eclectic than Mars Volta with violins, saxophone and some very jazzy piano (then again, never heard much TMV beyond the first album).  The similarity begins and ends with the punkish energy and wild, almost moody swings between hard, dissonant sections and soft, melodic ones.  All eyes on the insanely talented vocalist Courtney Swain obviously, but the band overall is incredible.  One of the best things to happen to prog in a long time, though, sadly, they choose not to call themselves that. 

Another one and I will stop here as I don't want to go Svetty on this thread:

Will do, thanks for the heads up! 

Why so (go down at ROSfest)?  Not the right venue for their kind of music, you mean?  Indeed, I came to know of them when they had come up for evaluation at Crossover, one of the first bands I voted on, lol.  But later couldn't find the time to listen intently to their music again.  The female vocalists poll got me interested again.  Bought the digital copy ASAP and now on a second run already, hopefully not the whole thing again.  But it's addictive.

Oh dear!  Yeah, in that case, it won't go down well.  More like, assault on melody and all that.    The way their music is organised - on Shiny Babies at least - is very interesting.  None of the tracks are even longish, let alone long (by prog standards, i.e 12-15 min) and yet the music has a very loose feeling, as if taking its own sweet time.  Also doesn't sound pop-y even though it's very contemporary. 

Me too!  Though I'd like to get my heart's content of Shiny Babies before that.  Holy mother of God, even Toothsmile is brilliant.  Better stop with this else wifey's gonna get bored (listening on headphones obviously!).  Going from very classic prog-sounding organs to violins to very modern guitar in the space of 3 1/2 minutes.

Edited by rogerthat - January 24 2016 at 09:20

Should check out MoeTar too, sounds interesting.  Funny that I like what was once described colourfully by a PA-er as "butter melts in my mouth vicar's wife Annie Haslam" and then this kind of stuff too.  I suppose I don't see it as an either-or, as a dichotomy, but just as the different flavours of music, of life.  Bent Knee has both ends of the spectrum covered within the space of one track and that's amazing.  Kind of what Jeff Buckley was going for but he sounds pretty soft next to Courtney Swain.  And I don't say that lightly; Buckley is the one I'd pick in a heartbeat as my favourite singer of all. OK, there isn't nearly as much flavour in her soft singing as he could muster in just a couple of lines from say Lover You Should Have Come Over but it's early days yet and I am excited to hear what more this talented singer has to offer.

Raff wrote: ROSfest is geared more towards "melodic" prog, with forays into AOR (this year's Sunday headliners will be Zebra).

Guldbamsen wrote: Love this band. Shiny Eyed Babies is one of a few rare rock albums this millennium to genuinely sound unique. It's going to be tough trumping it, but I am still very much looking forward to the new one.

Edited by BrufordFreak - January 28 2016 at 08:30

^ and it's a live concert performance!