Kiss/Kick is the latest album from Broken Spindles, and the second release from The Faint's blank.wav record label. Although Broken Spindles' sole member Joel Petersen has done remixes for Of Montreal and AFI and is also a member of The Faint, Kiss/Kick is a strictly "No Eyeliner" record. It is more No Wave than New Wave.
The new album was made in Omaha's Enamel, the studio owned by The Faint. With the entire studio at his disposal, Petersen used a live drummer more than on his previous Spindles records. Petersen says, "I knew that finding the balance of opposites was key to making sense of it all, to get the right mix of human and machine, acoustic and electronic, analog and digital, spontaneous and premeditated." This combination is heard clearly on the song "Introvert" which features programmed live drums, keyboards that hold down the rhythmic center and a guitar sound that careens out of control.
Lyrically, the album explores human fragility, both in body and mind. Songs like "I've Never Been This Afraid" and "We All Want to Fit in" show Petersen observing others and himself -- a constant theme in all of the Spindles records. Kiss/Kick is a record that takes the place of that late night journal writing session where the writer reveals more than what he knew was inside. As Petersen says, "For me, there has always been truth somewhere in the midst of extremes, and lyrically, this is where I wanted to be -- open, honest, and truthful. "
Kiss/Kick is Petersen's strongest work to date. With four Broken Spindles albums and five Faint albums under his belt, he has found his voice, as well as comfort in being the observer of our inherent discomfort with ourselves and our relationships. He has learned how to reduce songs to their basic parts without losing the power and excitement of great production.
Broken Spindles
Kiss/Kick
(blank.wav)
Street date: Feb. 17, 2009
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