The Kinetiks
Aye Aye Aye
Angela Macari O’Looney
This band excites and delights with fantastic melody lines, explosive beats and fire packed guitars always at the ready. The Kinetiks seem to go from strength to strength and have come quite a long way, for such a young bunch of lads.
They are a force to be reckoned with and have carved their initials well and truly, in the list of Ireland’s finest bands. Their sweet pop/ Indie/Rock style reaches out to all age groups and anyone with a musical ear.
Released in March ’09, this album is a firm favourite of mine and has six tracks; four brand new numbers and two bonus tracks.
Lead singer Gaz Harding composed all songs and is a suitably arrogant frontman as he belts out each with passion and spark!
He is also an accomplished guitarist. With fluent baselines provided by Jim McGuire, lead riffs and hooks to make your hair stand on end a la Sean Brennan and not forgetting thundering rhythm on drums – Paul Donohue, there just seems to be no stopping this runaway train!
Light bulb
The most popular number on this album, this is catchy and begins with a delicious guitar intro. Gaz wastes no time bursting straight into the chorus. Lots of riffs and hooks seamlessly bind together accompanying Gaz’s vocals, with drums and bass adding to the full, cheerful sound.
There’s a big stop!
Then momentum resumes as you are taken through the verse. Lots of changes of direction with the melody command your attention here. Lyrics are witty as this little masterpiece, with everything gelling together just right, has a no nonsense full stop ending which I like.
Aye Aye Aye
The title track, this has an exotic and mysterious melody. Guitars are sexy in the chorus, with one particular sliding bass note which is sooo dramatic!
There’s a slow down for the middle eight and Gaz’s vocals are given a chance to really shine, despite the fact it’s a short piece.
Beat is choppy and almost flamenco in style, with riffs to mesmerise throughout.
Decisions
The intro is the nicest part of this number by far. The divine riff is continued here and there throughout the song and there’s an echoic thing going on that I adore.
Harding really has a knack of creating short numbers with bite like this one. Drums and percussion are choppy, with changes of pace and distortion charged guitars all over the place.
Jim McGuire is one bassist that never remains in the background and here he provides vital baselines and I don’t think I’ve heard a number with so much energy going on in it from start to finish. All guitars are equally impressive here, whereby they do an in synch riff in the last verse that is dramatic and show stopping!
Did I (or did you)?
‘It happened so long ago’ are the words that begin the story told in the verse, where Gaz sings in falsetto with slow acoustic strumming behind.
Then in true Kinetiks style things change and you are treated to a riff on lead guitar that is magical. Chord combinations memorable, baseline lends depth and hammering guitars for the chorus create such drama!
I personally think the chorus in this song is the nicest and most memorable of any Kinetiks song. When I first heard this album I found myself singing this over and over again. There’s a particularly special guitar riff just before the final chorus. Backing vocals complete the picture with lots of ‘ahs’ and a pullback of instruments for the last couple of lines and just a dramatic drumbeat. Gorgeous!
Bite Bullet
This was the title track of an earlier E.P. and goes straight into vocals, with Gaz’s distinctive voice singing the first line; ‘She says I’ve got a nerve, but loads of style’.
The lyrics of this song are witty, sarcastic and always put a smile on my face. With a thumping beat, a solo to die for with screaming notes and bending riffs that are expertly infused in the right spots, this is one of those numbers where you have to watch your speedometer if you are driving!
Shuffle your feet
If my memory serves me correct, this would be one of this band’s first creations.
It starts with a catchy riff. The chord combos are excellent and the dramatic change for the chorus is the sweetest part of this song for me. It’s young, plucky and there is a sweet key change further on for the middle eight.
There are lots of complex chops and changes throughout, but it works and it is so melodic and catchy it makes the hairs stand on the back of my neck.
This album was recorded at the famous Grouse Lodge Studios and mastered by Fergal Davis at Suite Studios. The Kinetiks’ music has been described as giddy and energetic, possessing a Strokes-esque flavour. They boast performances at Oxygen, Indie Pendance and Le Cheile festivals and have also appeared at both Trinity and U.C.D. balls. Can it get any better than this?
I truly hope that whatever inspires such memorable and enjoyable songs never dries up. In a world where doom and gloom loom wherever we turn, young musicians and songwriters like Gaz Harding and his crew hit the right nerve for me.
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