New Music: Ko - Musical Family Tree

(Listen while you read)

Ko?s recordings at MFT are few right now, and they are all pretty short, but they represent a potent power in local music. Since the disbanding of Slothpop?earlier this year, Ko (AKA Kristin Newborn, unless that?s supposed to be a secret) has become a strong contender for the year?s most interesting new musical act in Indiana. Whether at live shows, entrancing crowds with a drone-thickened atmosphere with the help of drummer Todd Heaton (Street Spirits), or on the understated and experimental recordings at her MFT page, Ko is exploring new territory as an artist and sharing a lot of good vibes along the way.

?Bumflower? combines a massive groove beat with looped vocals and plenty of electronic touches, and Ko?s lead vocal cuts through like a siren - albeit a rather thought-provoking, nerve-calming siren. Keyboards and guitars bubble along to the club-worthy electronic drums, and the mix (provided by JB from Queen Size Studio) is impeccable: instruments and little cut-up vocal samples swirl around like a soft tornado of beautiful sound, blending perfectly in unexpected ways. There are some hard-panned cuts in the beat near the end of the song that sound incredible on headphones.

?Plant Me Right Back? is another Ko favorite for me, even in its less sprawling recorded form. At shows, many of Ko?s songs take on an entirely different life: built on more looping and live-jamming principles, the music breathes and changes, seeming more free to wander wherever it may. But this recording is somewhat more subtle, reflecting an admiration for what could easily be called ?non-western? or ?world music? forms and scales. The polyrhythmic hand drums and overdubbed harmony vocals transport the listener to a gorgeous sonic realm, more focused on spiraling rhythms and shifting layers than storytelling or pop songcraft. ?Plant Me Right Back? transitions seamlessly into ?I Will Run While It?s Dark,? which features otherworldly vocal loops backing a fantastic lead vocal melody. It?s pleasant, confrontational, gently jarring, and stunningly beautiful - and then it?s over just as quickly.

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The other two Ko tracks at MFT, ?Insert Spring Here? and ?Rice? are similarly impressive, each in a unique way, but neither song needs my words to tarnish or diminish their construction. The whole album, if we can even classify it as such, constantly leaves me wanting more - its total runtime is under 11 minutes. Even so, I?m more than impressed by Ko?s recent musical creations; I?m absolutely ecstatic about them. I think her recordings show a lot of talent and potential that was previously only revealed in other ways, whether in Slothpop or at live performances as Ko, and I really like the direction she is taking with her more experimental recordings. There?s a lot to be said for a musician that can explore different sounds on tape than in a live setting, and I always appreciate those who delve into electronic manipulation and multi-tracking to inject creativity into their writing process.

I also salute Ko as a female musician, and I hope that her expanding popularity as an artist will encourage other creative and talented women to actively participate in the local independent music scene. There are definitely a lot of women making music in the local scene, some of which are unfairly ignored for sure, but there are undeniably more men, and they seem to always get the most attention. I?ll admit to my own bias in listening to music that is primarily made by dudes, but when the music is this original and interesting, it reminds me of the spirit shared by some of the great women of rock and roll history: Bjork, Patti Smith, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday. There are of course tons of other influences in Ko?s music - male and female - and I imagine not everyone will hear the ones I mentioned in her music. But I appreciate her daring spirit and commanding presence both onstage and in her recordings, and she seems to belong to a deeper tradition of females making brilliant, unique music. That said, pay attention to Ko; she is doing great things and going important places.

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Tags: Experimental, FountainSquare, Indiana, IndianaMusic, Indianapolis, Indie, Ko, NewMusic, Rock, Slothpop, More?StreetSpirits, ToddHeaton

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Source: http://www.musicalfamilytree.net/xn/detail/2000984%3AComment%3A204380?xg_source=activity

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