Kevin - Standing On A Rubber Band

Single review by KevW

Finnish space cadets Kevin might have the greatest band name in the world, but that doesn't mean they have to compensate by making below average music. Their latest album in a reasonably lengthy career (they formed in the late 90s) is out this month and is titled 'Ebb And Flow'. As ever it's picked up some superlative reviews already, and if you like your psych-rock to not drift too far into the indulgent and abstract it will be worth your while giving it a little of your ear time. Despite an average track length of five minutes plus, they have an understanding of psychedelia and what makes it work, as well as how to subtly bring its influenced into more conventional alternative rock tunes. The latest single from the album is 'Standing On A Rubber Band' which comes with a suitably mysterious video that neatly avoids any kaleidoscopic, flower-power hippy nonsense. We haven't quite figured it out, but it involves lots of shoes and a mysterious bubble of light.

As is often the case, this single version, and therefore the video, are edited down from the full album track (well, if you can call five-and-a-half minutes edited down) and it really does pay to listen to it in its complete seven minute glory as ending is pure krautrock loveliness, it's this ending that gives Kevin their edge, rounding off a thoroughly decent tune with a glorious finale and setting the tone nicely for some of the less conventional sounds that are to come later on in the album, not least the fabulous 'A Lonely Place' whose sunkissed brilliance we covered on the site last year. With such a large amount of terrific alternative rock/indie/shoegaze/psychedelia coming out of Finland at the moment, you can't help but wish certain corners of the national music press would get off their arses and explore a little further afield, and we don't just mean an all expenses paid trip to SXSW once a year. Kevin are a band who deserve more coverage in the UK, and more fool us for not giving it to them.

 


Kevin's website

Stream or buy the album





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