Kyte - Kyte Album Review

Photo:Joe Norledge

Album Review

Leicester's answer to Sigur Ros. Good though.

For a bunch of youngsters, average age of only 20, Leicester's very own Kyte release an album way beyond their years. This seven tracker debut bodes well for the future. Their melodic template guarantees instant appeal across all ages, which a pretty good sign. Planet (released as a 7" single on Sonic Cathedral) is a deft, if somewhat over-indulgent, soft rock ballad that introduces their undisputed musical credentials with soaring vocals and a kind of musical backdrop that brought Coldplay much attention early on. Hushed vocals and jangly guitar texturise the floaty Boundaries, which has already been used on a nationally aired advert for the Sopranos on HBO - some feat for an unknown band. Iceland's Sigur Ros come to mind when hearing Secular Ventures, a shifting-synth based ballad that ambles along, punctuated by some stylish drumming. Again Sigur Ros' quirky glacial landscapes feature heavily on the beautiful Sunlight, a track that would have benefited from a monstrous crescendo. Home takes time to get going. When it does, it's pleasant enough an instrumental, but not particularly memorable either. They Won't Sleep would have shone brighter with some kind of dynamic or hook to keep us interested above its one dimensional quality. It's almost two minutes before rambling These Tales Of Our Stay actually gets anywhere and then its very much a damp squib.

It took some time for Sigur Ros to get going, so with time on their side, Kyte might just fly one day.

File under: Promising.

Elly Roberts