The Brother Kite's Time is Right...

It’s always a big risk for a band to greatly alter their sound from one record to the next. For some it can be quite rewarding for both the band and the listener, but however there are also those times when it can result in a bad case of crashing and burning. I say this because in 2004, The Brother Kite released their self-titled debut album through the Sacramento based Clairecords, whom have done a wonderful job putting out some fine dream-pop/shoegaze releases over the past few years. The album was fairly standard, big walls of colorful sound and at times ear piercing feedback. Despite keeping itself within the box, so to speak, it was still a fairly solid album. However, the band has returned in ’06 with their second album Waiting for the Time to be Right, again through Clairecords. This is where that risk I was talking about comes into play.

Reading a bit about this album before I had a chance to hear it may or may not have been a good idea. I haven’t quite figured that one out yet. I saw plenty of mention on how the band had moved in a different direction, distancing them a bit from being an all out shoegaze act. Considering I liked their debut, I was bit concerned as to how this might turn out. I will admit it even lowered my expectations a bit for this release. However, upon first listen of Waiting for the Time to be Right, any questions or concerns I had were put to rest. The group set out to do something different than their last album and they definitely succeeded in that. The best part of it though is that it worked. They didn’t crash and burn. I only wonder now what I would have thought about the album had I listened to it with no prior knowledge of what it might sound like. Either way, I am pretty confident I would have liked it either way.

Instead of the great big wall of sound approach that is pretty much the norm for a lot of shoegaze acts, and was for The Brother Kite’s last album, they’ve moved toward a much more sun baked 60’s rock vibe. Mostly everything I’ve read or heard has mentioned that it has a very evident Beach Boys influence to it, which after listening; this is a pretty valid statement. Although, a lot of times throughout the album, I am vaguely reminded of Superdrag and that sort of blend of 60’s fuzz rock meets current times.

The Brother Kite – I’m Not the Only One [MP3]
The Brother Kite – Hold Me Down [MP3]

This is a surprisingly good album from a band that has really stepped up and made some large strides from their debut to their follow up. Check this out if you get a chance. It can be purchased over at Tonevendor along with their self-titled debut as well.