With two rather well-received albums under their belts, Irish-Canadian psych-garage rockers The Orange Kyte have already revealed an individual sound as rich in its variety as it is fascinating in its character. Even so with loose ends connected and its web of adventure extended it is an evolving exploration of enterprise which has now come to a head in new album Carousel.
The Vancouver outfit’s fusion of garage and psych rock with shoegaze and indie inclinations again breeds the tracks making up Carousel but each stands as an individual enticement as much a pop protagonist as a rock incitement with many more flavours embraced in their fairgrounds of curiosity and adventure. From start to finish, the album dances with the body whilst taking flight with the imagination, its touch dirty and voice haunting but at its core a body of rock ‘n’ roll revelry.
Founded in 2016, originally as a solo project by Dublin hailing singer /songwriter/guitarist Stephen White (Magic Shoppe, ex- Strange Things and Ireland’s House of Dolls), The Orange Kyte inspirations include the broad likes of The Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett, Graham Coxon, The Byrds, Primal Scream, The Who, Death in Vegas, CAN, White Fence, Spiritualized and Super Furry Animals as well as psychedelia and krautrock in general. Many are essences which immediately flavour the heart and endeavour of Carousel as revealed by opener Masquerade!
The instant jangle of Mat Durie and White’s guitars immediately enticed keen attention as rhythms pounced, the psych flames of Matty Reed’s sax only intensifying the tempting. From its first breath quickly after, the song’s stroll is an eager bounce, the animated beats of drummer Dave Mulvaney as encouraging as the dark swing of Pierce Kingan’s bass, it all wrapped in the just as infectious hug of Durie’s keys. Together the ingredients made for a virulent and addictive enticement, one as rousing, bordering on the rowdy, as it was dark and invasively provocative.
The Modern Day Saints follows with a slightly more tempered gait but one again as contagious as the melodic warmth and enterprise making up its infection. As in all songs, Whites tones are a dream coated lure of temptation and lyrical observation within a web of tenacious sound while every element of the track hit the spot with Chris van der Laan swinging the sticks this time, the sax again especially potent before Distractions springs its melodic gossamer upon drum machine beats to beguile and haunt the senses. There is a House Of Love breath to the track at times which only adds to its psychedelic thought and irresistible seduction.
A rapacious appetite comes with the creative promotion of C.O.P., the controlled but boisterous persistence of the song again utter contagion even as vocals and melodic invention continually evolves and accentuates its ear gripping body while the following pair of Little Death Balloon and Demonstration Garden with their respective groove bound captivation and drone scented serenade similarly seized keen ears, the former a glorious slice of the band’s sound and imagination bound in one of the album’s major highlights with its successor, as all tracks, no lightweight in thick enterprise and temptation.
The R/B spun garage rock canter of Infinity Rope equally had attention in the palms of its transfixing surf coated hands to emulate the success of the tenacious garage pop antics shared by Sea Of Love / Ocean Of Hate before it , a constantly growing track again fusing psychedelic and pop exploits in a moment of creative manipulation.
The Chris van der Laan produced Carousel closes with the stripped down offering of Downfall, a sinking into sonic smog as inviting and evocative as it is disturbing and disorientating, and finally the sixties pop lined garage pop of Captain Ron. Both songs echo the diversity of the release, the band’s sound, and the inescapable lure of the creative fertility behind it all.
Carousel is a real joy, a ride of enterprise which effortlessly got under the skin whilst announcing The Orange Kyte one of the leading lights in the next decade of garage/psych adventure.
Carousel is out now on 12″ pink vinyl from Little CLoud Records (US/Canada) and Cardinal Fuzz (UK/EU) and digitally @ https://theorangekyte.bandcamp.com/album/carousel
https://theorangekyte.com/ https://www.facebook.com/theorangekyte https://twitter.com/theorangekyte
Pete RingMaster 14/01/2020
Copyright RingMasterReview: MyFreeCopyright
Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?
You have just released your debut album, Care Plan For The Soul. From its first breath it shares a multi-flavoured, refreshingly dirty and just a little salacious roar of sound and intent; a mix which suggests a varied range of inspirations to the band and individual members. Who particularly stands out as having an impact on your approach to making music?
Give us an insight into the live side of the band?
Embracing inspirations from the likes of The Stones, The Who, and Oasis, the Bolton hailing quartet has earned a strong reputation for writing tracks which roar with heart as they infest body and spirit; traits shaping previous plaudit grabbing singles such as One Last Time and Nothing Changes. Got My Star is more of the same goodness but undoubtedly a new flavour in the band’s maturing sound and creative imagination too.
Through the predatory landscape and infection clad swing of the outstanding This Town the album hits a new plateau, the track a boisterous funk lined stomp with a defiant snarl on every corner. Its individual nature adds to the already open variety within release and Renegade Twelve sound, a diversity further stretched by the power balladry/classic metal blaze of War Plane and in turn the epic yet intimate bellow of Somme. The first of the two leaves nothing to be dissatisfied with but is overshadowed by its surrounding companions with the sensational second of the two pure creative theatre with no signs of indulgence or wasteful seconds.
Not Afraid follows and quickly eclipses its predecessor as a thick wall of dramatic rhythmic and sonic energy hits ears. The song soon relaxes as Thayer’s vocals begin sharing melodic sighs and expression though the bass continues to bring dark shadows while prowling the calmer waters, lurking and waiting to join the frequent expulsions of that initial energy with erupt. It is gripping stuff reminding of British artist Johnny Wore Black, and with great unpredictability to its twists and dark hues to its emotion easily takes best song honours upon the EP.
The Bluebook Project hails from Bedfordshire and draw on inspirations from the likes of Iggy Pop, The Who, The Ramones, and Oasis. Formed in 2013, the quartet has gone from strength to strength as a live proposition and with releases, beginning with the 2014 unveiled debut EP Out of the Blue. Its ear pleasing introduction to the band was backed by a perpetual flow of live shows which included support slots with the likes of Slaves and Coasts before the foursome of vocalist/bassist Dan Thorn, guitarists Dan Watson and Jordan Smith, and drummer Benn Davis set about recording the Take Me Away EP. Its success is history but sure to be emulated with the unleashing of Pockets of Dirty Change.