Music Review: KiNDERGARTEN - Small

Some bands defy categorization. KiNDERGARTEN falls into that camp for me. The four members' diverse array of experience and musical talent mixes styles and influences with minimal effort and presents a unique sound that definitely leaves an impression.

My first exposure to the band was through their "The Man on the Stairs" video, which evokes a vibe that's part "Thriller", part Thomas Dolby. The creepy dancers in black and the entertaining video cuts and transitions that match perfectly with the bizarre, yet catchy tune. Who knew a song about being freaked out by a "dead man doin' the moonwalk" upstairs would leave such a lasting impression?

But KiNDERGARTEN doesn't stop there. "The Man On The Stairs" is joined by eleven other unique tracks on the album Small, which was released in early February 2010. The whole album is awesome, but I have a few favorites...

"Elementally Challenged" reminds me somehow of Rocky Horror Picture Show in the way it grooves along almost conversationally. In it, the band manages to mix rock sensibilities with the seasons. At first, we have a summer hotter than usual, then we have a winter "like a slow death in a meat locker," which finally signals the end to the battle between the heat and cold in springtime. And like many of us in areas that suffer Mother Nature's wrath at times in the passing of seasons, the singer is "elementally challenged" from time to time.

Then you have "C15-78Y" which hits me as a hard rock version of the Beatles' "Come Together," combining a very disparate, futuristic set of sounds with the story of a man with no name - just a number. He wants a name. He wants to know his family. Serious commentary on the harsh realities of the modern world set to a rockin' tune. "Take your number, I'm tired of living a lie" he says - "just don't gimme no number." A sentiment I think many of us can identify with from time to time in the computerized age of rank and file.

Article Author: Fitz

Brian Fitzpatrick (aka "Fitz") is a software engineer and writer living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife, two daughters, two dogs, a cat, and two rats (new for Xmas 2010!) -- trying desperately to survive the chaos!

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