This Other Kingdom – “FineLine”

Upon first listen to the the Sunlight EP by The Other Kingdom, it’s pretty clear what their niche is. Just look at the name and start listing the bands they remind you of. Whether it was intentional or not, this band pays homage to many alternative groups from the 70’s to the 90’s: players from the other movements, if you will.

Take the vocalist’s style, for example. His delivery is impressionistic of Jim Morrison and Ian Curtis: two iconic 70’s frontmen for progressive bands, known for their enigma and cryptic lyrics. As for the rest of the band, the sludgy guitar tones and unconventional chord progressions have a grunge feel to them. It’s a unique idea to blend grunge, acid rock, and post-punk influences together. But does it work? In a way, yes.

The Other Kingdom offers a fresh take on the grunge sound (which has been resting in peace for about 20 years) and really builds with other influences. But in the chase for all of these genres, there is a copious amount of layering, overdubbing, and manipulating the instruments. Take the song “FineLine,” for example. It starts with a silhouetted, reverberated guitar. Then drums and a dirty bass line enter. Then the vocals come in. So far, so good. But then, there are harmonizations on those vocals. Then an additional, distorted guitar is added. The drum beat gets busier. Synth lines are dubbed over the bass line. And here comes a backing choir, too! Every time a new instrument is added, it takes away from what the song already has. If there’s a great guitar hook in there, it’s drowned out. The songs definitely need to have more breathing room and less studio influence.

Most importantly, the production on the vocals should be kept minimal. It seems every track has the vocalist harmonizing with another vocal track. Both Ian Curtis and Jim Morrison were fronting for bands where each instrument had to hold its own weight. These singers were given space airspace to be the band’s staple. Both of these guys established an authentic trademark and accomplished surrealism without sounding manufactured. This vocalist has a strong voice and is capable of the same without studio help.

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BIO:

This Other Kingdom are a 3 piece band from Dublin, Ireland.  They fuse together elements of Space Rock, Indie, Neo Psychedelia, Post Punk and Shoegaze to create a wall of sound and raw emotion.

Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/thisotherkingdom

Twitter: http://twitter.com/THISOTHERKINGDO

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-Other-Kingdom/123658440997718?ref=hl#