KIT

Invocation (Upset the Rhythm)

By Jennifer Kelly
Published: November 8th, 2010 | 7:52am

These spitfire spaz punks push the melodic envelope on their second full-length, leavening noise-blitzed shout fests with slithery bits of songcraft, strung-out dronescapes, and strings. KIT clattered onto the stage in the mid ‘00s, pitting frenetic dual guitar mayhem against abrasive upper register chanting (that’s one-named Kristy at the mic). Since then, the band has led a charmed life, sharing splits with noise royalty like Deerhoof, Thurston Moore, and Kim Gordon. Their earliest efforts—the split with Deerhoof, for instance—were nearly unadulterated blasts of energy, shrill, rapid-fire barrages knocked sideways by slanted, trebly riffs.

Jittery pulse-pounders still bristle from the Phil Elverum-produced Invocation. It’s hard to imagine any live performance of “Merticane,” for instance, that didn’t involve a good bit of jumping up and down. Still, there are dreamy interludes tucked between massive, octave leaping riffs, and several choruses you can not only remember, but sing along with. “Out of Ruins,” the album’s best cut, bridges KIT’s old frenzy with the new, more structured approach, a controlled freak-out that shouts and murmurs through recognizable riffs, verses, and choruses. “Cloud Chaser” also succeeds at blending beauty and aggression, its menacing double guitar interplay turning lacerating and lyrical by turns.

Not all the experiments work, however. “Sharks,” the disc’s longest song, seems to take about the usual number of notes and stretch them over impossibly long periods. Its slow motion palls about halfway through, though, well before the band decides to extend it even further with a minute of cymbal rolls and guitar feedback. “Dreams Are Burned” borrows a string section from the Intima to broaden KIT’s sound, but instead turns bedraggled and strung out, a dirty ruffle hanging by a thread.

At its best, KIT splutters and skitters over rackety chaotic grooves, fizzing with the manic energy of bands like Coathangers and Mika Miko. They’re not as good at changing it up as the post-punk revivalists of Wet Dog or, on the masculine side, newly synthy Abe Vigoda, but they’re pushing at the form, and that’s positive.

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Upset the Rhythm Records