Kill the Kittens is I Am the Third's first CD, and can be accessed free here or on iTunes. But what are those lazer-eyed cats all about? I asked the band all sorts of questions about the seven-song album, and learned that tunes delivered in a wrapper of truck-attacking felines can range from bits of reggae to lots of blues and many beautiful styles in between.
In fact, Dan Victor explains that the CD "is a mix of many styles: Soul, Rock, Reggae, Pop, Blues, Funk, and Folk," so to really experience all the different sounds the band has to offer, all there is to do is give the songs a listen.
An appropriate show starter, "Stand (Malik)," encourages us to rise to the occasion. This one actually has its very own music video.
LS Bell sheds some light on the album art, filling us in on how the music and the cover image mix in his thoughts. "When I hear the tunes, I start to think of this post-apocalyptic trip through a land dominated by cats with laser eyes. And, it’s this one guy’s account of dealing with those struggles." He continues, "in that vein, I tend to think of music in the context of a movie [...] life is ever evolving and so is its soundtrack."
The ever-evolving soundtrack this album provides continues its positive message with the song "Vanilla Sky," which urges us to keep fighting, keep rising, and ultimately to be strong no matter what comes our way.
Kat Melen enjoys the "dream rock" aspect of the music the band is known for, and this CD exemplifies this concept. Kat explains that the album "has a lot of positive energy, uplifting, inspiring songs and some good groovy beats."
Those groovy beats continue in "The Way Love Spins," which alters its style part of the way through to artfully meld different beats in such a way that you are left with the feeling of having taken a journey through the story of the song and coming out differently on the other side.
Steve Reyes explains that, while the musical styles are "eclectic [...] the EP’s overall quality is inspirational. The taste range from rock, funk, and soul but the message remains similar. The positive vibes are the strongest character of the music."
The track titled "It Won't Be Long" is a great example of the positive vibes. Though the song's lyrics initially express uncertainty and worry, by the end, the song is lifting you up in true IATT fashion, providing you with both beats to groove to and words to encourage you.
The album also features a Jeff Buckley cover, "Lover You Should Have Come Over," which the band makes their own with their distinctive voice and sound. In fact, Steve says it's his favorite track. He has a lot of reasons, but one big one is that it really allows "for Alec’s range to show through."
Brandon Bujnowski let me in on the fact that the album showcases songs that are both part of Alec's old repertoire before the band was formed as it currently exists as well as new things that they have worked on together.
Continuing on our move through the album, "(Where Do We) Draw the Line" is a powerful song set out to remind us that "sometimes, we have to draw a line in the sand," as Alec has been known to explain.
Finally, we reach the first song and title track of the CD: "Kill the Kittens." Dan explained to me that originally the album was going to be self titled, "but the 'Kittens' track was such a favorite, Alec decided to change the name and look." He goes on to explain the song is more than just a popular track, but it and the CD that bears its name is "where we started honing in on our identity as a band and the attitude we have on stage. ["Kill the Kittens"] also made it a bit more edgy, to let 'em know that we're for real."
One of the few songs that doesn't focus only on the upside of things, Kat admits that "the "Kill the Kittens" title song seems to be the black sheep of the group and," she adds, "personally my favorite."
Overall, the Kill the Kittens album represents the hard work and extremely wide range of talents the members of I Am the Third possess. There is easily something on this album for everyone to love.All that's left is to enjoy it while we excitedly wait on the upcoming release of Western Love and all the projects that come after.
I leave you with one fan's opinion of the CD. William Lem said:
"You wouldn't know it from the title alone, but Kill the Kittens has a pretty positive vibe. Good listening in general, it's [especially] good for those times when you're in a bad place and could really [use] some words of encouragement [and] inspiration to get you through."
No comments:
Post a Comment