Bent Knee - You Know What They Mean

Year of Release: 2019
Label: InsideOut Music
Catalog Number: IOMLTDCD 535
Format: CD
Total Time: 00:52:12

Other than by name, hearing a few tracks here and there, and, of course, reading Clayton's review of their previous release, Land Animals, I have been unfamiliar with Bent Knee's music. But even so, I can tell you their music is aimed at a non-traditional audience. That is, more for the art-minded set, not the dance-groove-minded set. And given readers of this review/website are of a prog-minded audience...

Bent Knee's latest release You Know What They Mean has a live, underground feel. You can imagine being in a small club, late at night, when artists or bands who play a more experimental style of rock get some stage time. Something subversive might be going on; counterculture, something thumbing its nose to the mainstream. What came to mind in terms of mood and effect was... what it might have been like at the start of art-punk, with bands like Blondie (who come to mind mostly because of Courtney Swain's vocals - at times), Talking Heads, and the like. The same sort of ethos as prog in a way - "I'm not going to follow trends; I'm following my own muse." (In doing some research, I see Talking Heads have been an influence).

Now, I'll say that but for the opening track "Lansing," and "Lovell," this is a studio release, not live; but it has a very live feel, which gives it immediacy and warmth. Studio walls melt away and it's just a band, on a stage, going where inspiration takes them. And for all that, and the diverse styles at play, even in the same track, it is cohesive. The sharp angles happen within songs, not between them. The production is crisp, even when the songs seem raw.

I said that Swain makes me think of Deborah Harry, but it is not in her tone, rather in some squealed and howled notes. But saying squeals and howls might give you the wrong impression... as, here at least, Bent Knee aren't that avant-garde. So, more like ... emphatic endings to lyric lines that go up the scale. More so in tone, however, it is of Alanis Morrisette that I think. Or, like Janis Joplin, to a degree, it's a voice that really comes from within - raw and visceral.

I find several descriptive words that repeat with me: smoldering, murky, violent, malevolent. Perhaps because the percussion is often at the forefront, there is this sense of ... aggression. This isn't an album that comes in and kindly whispers in your ear. It doesn't savage you like say thrash or extreme metal, either mind you, but it doesn't pull punches.

One of my favorites here is the funky-jazzy-smoldering-disco mix "Hold Me In." One might argue that this track has an element of catchiness, rhythmically, without having a lyrical "hook" that will play in your head later. A mood, a groove, yes... the cadence of the vocals...

Or maybe my favorite is the at once slinky and sultry, chunky, and brutal "Egg Replacer." Or maybe it's the very next track, "Cradle Of Rocks" - which does rock. It is almost traditional rock compared to the rest of the material; driven forward by the thumping percussion. As with "Hold Me In," another genre comes to mind - during the guitar solo there is a disco-like shininess to the whole affair, but this is not disco. I said you couldn't dance to the music, but you could to this one, though it would be violent and probably dangerous to others. Just a few elbows-to-the-gut-short of a mosh-pit maybe.

"Lovemenot" has the low-end heaviness of early Deep Purple (circa "Hush") ... thick and murky. It verily growls in a cacophony of grinding bass and guitars, rumbling drums. "Catch Light" is equal parts growly and smoldering (and vocally this where Morrissette comes to mind) ... and like the title suggests, this song is full of sparks.

There are a couple of tracks that dial things back a bit (for a bit). One is "Garbage Shark" -- will it become as ubiquitous as "Baby Shark"? Well, no... This shark swims in the murky depths - ethereal vocals and sparse instrumentation blend into the throb of percussion and keening guitar/bass... * It builds into something quite violent, malevolent.

"Golden Hour," which follows, really evokes in ethereal tones (yes, lots of ethereal moments here) that moment where the sun seems to touch the sea and splashes golden light across the landscape. Whether you experience this as sunrise (the song works that way, as things come to life) or sunset (it works that way, too, as night-owls come out to play), you'll experience it. That is, it goes from ethereal to expansive, from intimate to world-encompassing.

It might sound dense at first - or if avant-garde isn't your thing, a little out of left field, too - but peel back the layers to discover interesting music that can be listened to over and over, revealing new things with each listen.

For the record, "Lansing," isn't a song, it's tuning-up stage banter, but it's sets the tone for the album.

Random thoughts - there's a bit keyboards on "It Happens" that strongly reminds me of Steve Miller's intro to "Fly Like An Eagle." And wow, I started writing this review in June 2020 and my opinion listening again now has not changed.

*not for the first time, as on the first musical track, the throbbing drums made me think of Queen's "Flash"... ... and yes, I've used the word "murky" more than once, I know.

Tracklisting:
Lansing (1:22) / Bone Rage (4:14) / Give Us The Gold (3:51) / Hold Me In (4:50) / Egg Replacer (3:10) / Cradle Of Rocks (4:00) / Lovell (1:27) / Lovemenot (5:10) / Bird Song (2:56) / Catch Light (4:39) / Garbage Shark (5:38) / Golden Hour (5:51) / It Happens (5:05)

Musicians:
Chris Baum - violin
Jessica Kion - bass, vocals
Ben Levin - guitar, vocals
Courtney Swain - lead vocals, keyboards
Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth - drums
Vince Welch - synth, guitar

Discography:
Bent Knee (2011)
Shiny-Eyed Babies (2014)
Say So (2016)
Land Animal (2017)
You Know What They Mean (2019)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: August 7th 2021
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.bentkneemusic.com
Hits: 5367
Language: english