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Kaleidoscope (EP)

by Kaleidoscope

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1.
The Towers (free) 08:31
I feel your eyes at night, and oh how I want to see them I feel your cries at night, and oh how i want to hear them I feel your grip grow tight, and oh how i want to follow But that's when they try to take me away... (1,2,3,4!)
2.
Malibu 04:36
3.
Desert 06:50
When these towers come crashing down, I know where I'm gonna be, I'll be standing on the tallest one, With my team right beside of me, Because I don't really care if it hurts me this time, 'cause I don't really care if it hurts me this time. When this city comes burnin' down I know where I'm gonna be, I'll be standing in Central Square, With my team right beside of me, Because I don't really care if it kills me this time, 'Cause, I don't really care. 'Cause, I dont really care if it hurts me this time
4.
Sandhurst 03:39

about

"Hailing from Gerringong is a bunch of fresh-faced teens called KALEIDOSCOPE. Don't let that dissuade you, because the song writing ability these guys possess is well beyond their years. This psychedelic/stoner rock trio have been pricking up ears and turning heads right across the globe amongst niche, genre based publications as their self-titled debut release hits the information super highway.

As soon as I press 'play' I find myself reaching for my eighth and my papers because I instantly get the sense that being stoned is the only way to enjoy this release. I soon realise that nor do I actually have any weed but I don't smoke, although this minor inconvenience is quickly overcome. Recording on a shoe-string budget only does this release even more justice as it encapsulates the essence of a live performance, which you just don't get with endless filters, compressors, and effects units used in major budget recordings.

Teasing you with entrancing guitar work, The Towers slowly builds up until singer/guitarist Anthony Sweeney chants “1, 2, 3, 4” as the song kicks into full gear with fuzzed out guitars and thunderous drums, reminiscent of KYUSS' Sky Valley. In true stoner rock fashion, the song may conform to standard verse/chorus/verse/chorus structures but lyrically speaking, there's no such conformity as each stanza is unable to be given any alternate names. The song wouldn't be complete without the 2 minute 30 break-down jam, riddled with wah and delay effects which you'd come to expect from any great stoner rock band.

Malibu is initially a much more laid back number, which would be the perfect soundtrack to a wistfully beautiful movie montage of the surf rolling in at the very location, which conjures the song name. Though, true to form it continues on with huge riffs in a downtrodden tempo. Desert and Sandhurst round this EP off nicely as they fill the voids to make this a complete work displaying the range of possibilities from an artist like this.

I can't help but wonder whether this band, with all their talent and potential, will be able to cut through to mass audiences or whether their CD will meet the waste paper basket alongside so many other unfortunate bands before them who dared to go against the grain and write music with pure visceral instinct, instead of through a series of calculations and sterility.

The EP is available for download from the band's Bandcamp site for a minimal $2.50, with the option to sling them a few extra bucks if you can afford it, and think they deserve it. If you love Californian desert fuzz-rock, then chances are you'll think they do deserve every cent." - David Norris, Sludge Factory.


"Stoner rock. Desert rock. Psychedelic rock. Whatever you want to call it, it's a style of music that has been vastly under-appreciated with only the odd band like Kyuss, Spiritual Beggars and Orange Goblin breaking out and making it. Fortunately the flame still burns quite brightly within the underground through bands new and old. One of the newer ones is Wollongong power trio Kaleidoscope, who proudly fly the flag on their self-titled debut EP.

Over the 23 minute timeframe, Kaleidoscope sends the listener on a brief musical journey - maybe assisted by substances, who knows? Starting things off is "The Towers", an eight-minute composition that builds from a trippy, atmospheric clean guitar to a wah-drenched psych out with Anthony Sweeney's vocals almost a spirit guide leading one to oblivion. "Malibu" uses a similar formula, but twists into a miniature jam driven by the fuzzy bass lines of Darcy Wall and the pounding drum work from Kane Watsford. "Desert" follows, very reminiscent of something that Tumbleweed would have turned out in the early 1990s. It all leads to the final track, the burning and ripping "Sandhurst", so insanely heavy it could blow out speakers.

As Kaleidoscope is a DIY release, the production is not uber-slick or polished and sounds quite echoey at times. Regardless, there is a charming vibe underpinning it all. This is one of the hardest things to achieve in this genre and they pull it off well.

Kaleidoscope is a solid introduction to one of the up and comers of the Australian stoner rock genre, with plenty of potential just bursting to be untapped." - Sam Radojcin, Loud Online.


"Feeding off the energy of their vibrant coastal home, Kaleidoscope’s debut merges ambient post-rock soundscapes, with the blistering crunch of stoner.

Although short in length, these dreadlocked Aussies cover all the necessary bases well; as the opening progressive vision of ‘The Towers’ builds from trippy guitar jangles into a fuzzy, psychedelic sprawl, as vocalist Anthony Sweeney whispers spiritually between the freak-outs.

Like many of their compatriots, the Gerringong trio owes a considerable debt to the Palm Desert; something which the band are obviously aware of, as track titles such as ‘Malibu’ and ‘Desert’ are obvious geographical shout-outs to the kings of sun-drenched rock. This DIY release is loud, raw and passionate, and best of all, is made by a young, thriving ensemble, who adore this genre." - Chybucca Sounds

credits

released April 6, 2011

Al Wright's Bunch and Travis Wall

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Kaleidoscope Wollongong, Australia

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