Kinski

Hyperbole runs roughshod throughout the dictionary of the rock music critic. In the case of Seattle’s space rock explorers Kinski, I would argue it justified. Any and all glowing language can barely begin to describe the places they are capable of taking the listener.

Kinski melds unorthodox guitar tunings with a gorgeous droning ambience, abruptly collapsing into violence. Be Gentle With the Warm Turtle pushes and pulls listeners with its warm, pulsing bass tones spreading beneath electric strings that shiver and strain heavenward. Comparisons to Sonic Youth, Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine are not without merit, though Kinski revels more in an unpredictable dream state. "New India" finds the band working a monolithic wave of distortion that would be sure to make Ravi Shankar cry tears of blood, while "That Helmut Poe Kid’s Weird" takes a surprisingly melancholic route, inspiring with its glacial pace, unfolding in volume and tempo, only to return to sad single notes suspended in resignation.