Klay
Invitation To An Accident
Lockjaw Records
Excellent, angular British alt-rock debut.
This is the debut full length release from British experimental, alt-rockers Klay. The band hail from Devon and even though they've only been together since 2005, this album has a surprisingly accomplished sound. They play with their influences very clearly displayed, like the angular guitars and jerky rhythms of Biffy Clyro and the epic, sweeping quality of Explosions in the Sky, however the mix of these two angles doesn't come across like a split personality made from other bands, it is very definitely a sound of their own and melds together beautifully into something really cohesive.
The album is a very varied affair and goes from dreamy and introspective, to melodic and energy filled, to heavy and riff laden; in fact many of the tracks, like 'Empires' and 'Reduction As Always' combine all three. 'Day One/Day Four' is a straight up (for them) poppy, off kilter, alt-rock tune with an excellent catchy chorus and some memorable hooks. 'Swans Reflecting', one of the stand out tracks, has a fantastic combination of jangly, acidic guitar sound with smooth, melancholy cello and appropriately underplayed vocals. They even manage to pull off instrumental tracks with ease, like 'Mezzaluna' which starts with a subtle little riff that gently builds to a spine-tingling crescendo of angular, fuzzy noise and 'Ava' which really kicks things up a notch with a short but sweetly heavy moment and an excellent bass line.
"Invitation To An Accident' has so much to offer. It's a joyful mash up of quiet/loud, of tunes and riffs, of the gentle and subtle and the jagged and heavy but it's done with such conviction and skill that they make it sound easy. It might not be a particularly easy listen at first, but it's an album that's well worth the effort of repeated listens and because there's so much going on, it gets better every time. 4/5 SUBBA-CULTCHA
For fans of: Biffy Clyro, Jetplane Landing, Mogwai, Envy
By Emma Gould