Remember in the 90’s when you turned on the radio and the term “alternative” didn’t mean overproduced pseudo-metal with auto tune? Well even if you don’t, Kestrels captures a certain moment of time before that when “alternative” was a new thing and was just as memorable as riding your bike around in the summer time with cutoff jean shorts and bright neon colours. On Kestrel’s newest EP The Moon Is Shining Our Way, the band pulls in influences of bands such as My Bloody Valentine, early Smeared-era Sloan, Dinosaur Jr., and even a bit of Eric’s Trip. Kestrels takes these influences into consideration, but they do not sound like a carbon copy of these bands, they add their own dynamic to the mix as well, creating their own sound. With just four tracks, The Moon Is Shining Our Way captures a certain hazy fuzziness that sticks with you like the summer heat. “Eternal and Debased” starts off the EP with the hazy fuzziness I just spoke of, while the vocals feature just enough echo and reverb to not get lost in the mix. “Wide Eyes” blends the band’s shoegaze sound with their mix of fuzziness, the song is catchy as well. The EP’s title track is a bit heavier, but with lyrics such as “Useful, strange and missing everything” that taps into a subconscious thought, it strikes a certain chord, making this a standout track on this EP. “The Double” features a slow heavy drone throughout before ending the EP.
When listening to The Moon Is Shining Our way it is noisy, but it is not too noisy. You can tell that the band took their time with the mastering not making it sound too loud, because having seen this band live in Windsor a few times they definitely are loud. The overall sound comes off with a warm analog groove, not modern or digital sounding. Originating from Halifax, on The Moon Is Shining Our Way, Kestrels captures a certain melodic noise, but they also emphasize a new exciting growth within the band’s dynamic.
Listen to the interview I did with Kestrels here:
Saturday Night Play List:
1. The Ventures - No Trespassing
2. Habibi - Detroit Baby
3. Sheer Luxury - Depressing Song
4. The Violent Femmes - Gimme That Car
5. Tongan Death Grip - Watching You
6. Queen’s Rug - File Footage
7. Teleman - In Your Fur
8. Bo Diddley - Sixteen Tons
9. The UFO Club - Bo Diddley Was The 7th Son
10. Little Walter & His Jukes -Hate To See You Go
11. The Rolling Stones - Route 66 (Live)
12. Tom Waits - Satisfied
13. Greys - Use Your Delusion
Kestrels Interview
14. Kestrels - The Moon Is Shining Our Way
15. White Lung - Snake Jaw
16. The Vindicators - Searching For My Baby
17. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Today's Lesson
18. Thick As Thieves - Lie Cheat Steal
19. James OL & The Villains - Till The Morning Light
20. Uncle Monk - Round The Bend
21. Ramones - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Demo)
22. Ramones - Chainsaw
23. Don’t Touch The Dancers - My Conscience
24. Ty Segall & White Fence - Crybaby
25. Lou Reed - Lady Day
26. Chuck Berry - How High The Moon? (Demo)
27. Guided By Voices - Bad Love Is Easy To Do
28. The Black Lips - Family Tree
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for July 12. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.
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