Katrin the Thrill

 

Today I have the joy of bringing you a review of an artist named Katrin the Thrill and their new album Evil Eye Charm. This is a band with a very solid sound that takes elements of garage rock and opens them up for a more pop rock type audience. The music here is intriguing as it finds this balance that many people would call impossible. The guitar parts are simple, but well arranged, with an excellent mix of cleans and distorted parts. The bass work is solid and there are a lot of clean melodic lines to be had. I find the drums to have some really cool fills and they add quite a bit of flavor to the record. Finally we have the vocals, with a very calm and soothing voice, this groups singer finds an interesting mix between a more classical approach and a Velvet Underground type chant. This band provides a very interesting listen and is definitely worth getting in too.

The guitar work on this record is overall rather simple technically. The acoustic parts are often made up of chords or simple arpeggios. Yet there are some pretty intense acoustic build ups that lead into heavier and more rocking parts. In particular Leave Without Me features a particularly excellent build up into a roaring solo. The heavier work is very tasty and the more dominating riffs are really cool to listen too. One thing I really like about this band is the varied use of experimental sounds. This is one way in which I am very much reminded of the Velvet Underground. These guys are not afraid to use sounds that could hurt the listeners ears. Yet all of these are hidden underneath a rather peaceful and fun looking exterior. This is what makes the music interesting, the contrast between the overall pop-rock feel and the wilder garage parts.

I really like the bass playing on this record, due to the acoustic nature of a lot of the guitar playing the bass can often take over and have a really cool melody line. This adds an interesting layer to the music and is definitely not something you would see in normal pop rock. On the heavier parts the bass just adds another layer of heaviness. I particularly like the really heavy bass lines to be found on If You Believe in Dreams. The drums use a lot of standard rock fills on this record. Yet they sometimes help the guitar in the more psychedelic elements of the music. Also, on the build ups, which this band does so well, the drummer really shines and prepares the listener for a hard rocking slab of fun. His playing can get really high powered and that definitely adds a lot to the overall feel of the music.

The singing on this record combines an interesting mix of a classical approach with a more Velvet Underground type of chanted/spoken vocals. This singer certainly knows how to belt it and she doesn't hesitate too. At other times her voice is tinged with emotion, often times, a very powerful sadness like in Hard. I find the overall mix of classical and experimental to be wonderful. It adds a lot of feel to the music and definitely keeps things interesting. This singer can really help people who never listened to the genre get into garage rock. The lyrics on this album are sometimes sad, other times lewd, and then other times about fantasy elements. This is an interesting mix and gives the listener a bit of everything. I find this to be rather cool and it adds another unique element to the group.

In conclusion, Katrin the Thrill's new record Evil Eye Charm is a stellar mix of the radio and the garage. Fans get a bit of everything on this record, from sad love songs, to lewd ones, to songs about the dream world. This is a record that is probably a bit harder to digest on first listen, but after a few spins you start to release how vast this albums conception is. The guitar playing is a mix of acoustic, rock and experimental music. Its a really interesting combination that you won't easily forget. The bass playing is also rather steady and there are some cool melody lines to be had. I really like the drumming on this record too, it really dominates on this bands incredible build ups. Finally we have the singing, with a classical meets the garage approach that reminds me of Jill Janus' VERY early work, she has a lot of beauty in her singing. All in all, this is a wonderful record that you should really explore!

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