Kineto
Transform
4
Kineto seem to have something to say, but the problem is that I can’t listen to Transform long enough to tell what it is. The San Francisco quartet plays an unusual quasi-prog hard rock that is influenced by Tool, and to a lesser degree, Primus. The band uses some interesting phrasing and concepts, but has failed to put them together in a way that is even the least bit engaging. Kineto is like the coworker’s spouse you get stuck next to at a wedding reception. He goes on and on about something: how General Electric is rapidly depleting the world’s supply of something or other; or about how our government is secretly planning to clone soldiers, or some such diatribe. In other words, something he considers some really heavy shit. Meanwhile, about every fourth word you’re considering jamming your salad fork into your eye socket. I just can’t convey to you how little I care about how Kineto was trying to do with this collection of songs, and I’m a fan of the bands that seemed to influence Kineto, and of the unusual in general. But I’m not a fan of this. The music is far more interesting on its own than with vocals. Many of the tracks are bass led, with the guitar taking a noisy, nontraditional role. It’s quirky and at times interesting. But when combined with Forest Huggins’ intense, overly clean, self-absorbed vocals, all potential drains quickly. The band failed to draw me into their world in even the most basic way. I have no interest in clubbing an unsigned band, so I’ll just keep this short. Kineto gambled big time by developing an unusual style. It’s the kind of gamble that either results in something really great or really…not so great. These guys have some musical talent, and a vision for where they want to go, and I have to respect that. I just don’t have to listen to it.
