Kill Krinkle Club - Abandon
Kill Krinkle Club have a ridiculous name with a slightly convoluted back story; 'Krinkle' is, according to them, the voice in your head that stops you from reaching your full potential. And they want to kill him.
One half of the Kill Krinkle Club duo is Swedish and the other Irish; this is reflected in the music, which is the form of lovely, eerie electronica that the Northern European countries seem to do so well. There's more of an edge to Abandon than the usual fare, however; less desolate and more mellow.
Opener Butterfly has a confident, sure start - the usual bleeps and bloops have an optimistic sound and contrasts nicely with the airy vocals of Swedish half Elina Bergman. The male-female vocal dynamic is one that can often be quite touch-and-go but Bergman and Justin Commins pull double duty particularly well, adding to the slow burn. There's no exact pay off, but the song doesn't fizzle out either - the spark never catches fire, but sometimes it doesn't need to.
Nightfall has a conflicting start; slow and Nine Inch Nails-esque in places (Kill Krinkle Club's influences are many and varied) the sparse vocals over the electronics are hit and miss and it's difficult to tell if it's a gamble that could be considered to have paid off. Nevertheless, something about it requires attention and the gentle peaks and dips are almost hypnotic in places.
Closer Sleepy Song is a favourite, showcasing all the things that Kill Krinkle Club do well, without becoming generic. The melodic opening is deceptively simple, and the mournful sound is both lulling and haunting. It's one of the few songs on the album that manages to hit memorable status, for sure.
While some of the songs aren't quite as distinctive as perhaps they could be, there's no doubt that the album never becomes disjointed. Rather, the songs flow smoothly into one another, creating a sense of cohesion that is an altogether pleasant change from the majority of albums. It's difficult to tell one song from another even after many repeat listens, but it's the kind of music that unobtrusively slips its way under the skin.
It's not quite certain if Kill Krinkle Club hit their aim of killing the Krinkle character in Abandon, let's hope not - it'd be a treat to hear another album with an even greater achievement.