KVXuality
There is so much going on in Cork these days and so many international acts playing week-in/week-out that I have realised only recently that I have been seriously neglecting the local music scene so I am on a bit of a mission to sort that out. The first impressive act that I have stumbled across are KVX.
KVX are a five-piece (or, as their bio just as accurately reads, ten-legged) Cork band comprised of Eimear O’Donovan (bass/vocals), Leah Hearne (guitar/vocals), Ciara Scally (background farting noises), Niamh Collins (drums) and Daire O’Sullivan (violin/ glockenspiel) and last year released their second E.P. entitled Dinner.
The key to KVX is (possibly) this :
1. They work together and not against each other i.e. as a band. Guitar riffs and slides, drum fills, harmonies etc. all appear where they both emphasize and improve the song with all five players seemingly aware of the exact direction they want to go. There are too many acts out there with bandmembers trying to out-solo each other all over the shop resulting in an unnecessary clutter and it is this misdirection that can waste even the most talented bands potential.
2. They know how to both write and, just as importantly, arrange a tune. There is a great tempo to their songs. Take “Graphs”, the first song on Dinner, for example. It opens with an effect-laden solo violin which many bands may have milked for twenty/thirty seconds but just seven seconds in to the E.P. opener a frenetic guitar riff appears and within no time the drums and bass have kicked in creating an exciting energy that does not let up throughout the entirety of the song.
Returning to the first point I made above, the vocals in the verse are complemented perfectly by a simple, repetitive guitar line that does not over-complicate things but simply keeps the song zooming along. Add in tasteful backing vocals and a really thoughtful, well-constructed interlude that not once loses the tempo that was built up so skilfully in the first minute or so.
The five continue with this theoretically simple but extremely successful formula on “lights out. New lantern” and “Jump Ship” which make up the rest of the Dinner E.P. and time and again roll-out the step-by-step guide on how to enter and exit a dramatic build-up both quickly and incisively. It is too easy to say this band are just keeping it simple as there is a serious amount of talent on show on this E.P. alone. My eyes and ears wait patiently for news of the next gig or future release from KVX.
Dinner from KVX can be purchased in Cork for a measly €5 in Plugd Records or online by clicking this link.
If you would like to give it a whirl before you purchase (which I am sure you will) just visit their Breaking Tunes page where you can stream all three tracks for free or check out two Youtube videos below.
