Singles + EPs

Single Review: Kong

[Single: Blood Of A Dove/A Hint Of Rennit Innit]
[Label: Brew Records]

Looking through the press release that came attached to KONG’s first single release, you get the impression that whatever is on that CD, it’s going to make you sick to your stomach, with obscure references to mythical creatures and an incredibly imaginative description of the band’s sound, involving non-brand-specific lager and night-time ejaculation. Instead of being jotted down by an uninspired promoter, the press release is written by none other than Andrew Falkous, of (the now extinct) Mclusky and Future of the Left, and if you haven’t heard of either of them, then KONG is not the band for you.

Opening with fuzzy guitar feedback, ‘Blood Of A Dove’ bursts into life with a sharp riff that becomes the lifeline of the whole song, and a distant mumbling hidden right at the back of the mix makes up the extent of the vocals. The song lurches along and, despite the reliance upon one sole riff, it still manages to sound disjointed and erratic, which in this case is no bad thing. Near the song’s conclusion the dark mix creates a really claustrophobically heavy atmosphere as somewhere you can just make out a man screaming his lungs out.

‘A Hint of Rennit Innit’ is a much faster track, but one that exacerbates the erratic nature of the guitar riffs and oddball drumming. Vocals seem a bit of a random afterthought, just thrown in for good measure to baffle the listener even more. It goes from pounding drums to absolutely bizarre scale climbing, sounding like an extended version of the country-esque riff of Mastodon’s ‘Megladon’.
Clearly a couple of sandwiches and a sponge short of a summer picnic, KONG are promising to be a dark band with some fresh ideas. Things still need a bit of refining perhaps, but as it stands with advocates such as Falkous and the hectic ideas on display here, KONG should have an interesting following if they keep at it.

For fans of: Mclusky, Future of the Left, Charlottesfield
Band link = KONG