Kind of Like Spitting
Old Moon in the Arms of the New
I can’t really get enough of Kind of Like Spitting, which is ok, because KoLS frontman Ben Barnett seems to be one of the more prolific musicians out there today. I believe Old Moon in the Arms of the New is the most recent KoLS album, but there may have been another album released practically simultaneously. This album really shows Barnett’s talents maturing, and he takes a slightly new direction. On this release, you get less of Barnett singing in his breaking voice and playing acoustic guitar. Instead, he has a band with him now, and just about every song features a full-band sound, and more emphasis is placed on electric rather than acoustic guitar.
Seeing Kind of Like Spitting live, I was amazed to hear the level of rock this band is able to reach. Live, you can almost hear why some people classify KoLS as an emo band, as the songs tend to rock out more and put a lot of focus on breaking, almost screaming vocals. On album, however, this is folk-inspired rock with a slow-core feel. And that’s what Barnett does best: let the focus be on the personal, emotional songwriting and let the music come along. Bright Eyes does this well, and fans of that band will definitely enjoy Kind of Like Spitting.
“Old Moon Meet New” is a sentimental, slower song. Filled with light electric guitar, light drums, and Barnett’s breaking, emotional voice, the song has a kind of somber urgency that Barnett has always been good at conveying. Halfway through, keyboards kick in, and the song takes on something of a groove. In contrast, “Boy Cries Wolf,” with female backing vocals and a very light, poppy beat, is a pure pop song, ala Belle & Sebastian, all sweet and even a little playful. There’s even a synthetic beat to kick off “Two Violins, Which Are Meant to Represent the Forest,” a more acoustic number that has a nice rocking feel with the drums and electric guitar layered in. Finally, “Tyce Racing Set and a Christmas Story Fifteen Times” brings in a harder rock sound, to start with anyway. It mellows out a bit (and takes on a “Silent Night” melody that’s kind of neat) but does have elements of a harder, more in-your-face rock sound. The vocals are done really interestingly, too, layering a kind of deep vocal sound over Barnett’s higher-pitched vocals.
There seems a natural transition when switching to the B-side of this album. “Dostoyevski Gets Mugged Outside a Donut Shop in Jersey” (gotta love Barnett’s song titles) is much more folk-sounding, with the drums sounding simple and added on later but the melodica sounding right at home. “Young Fiction Writer” is the quieter and more sparse sound you might expect from earlier KoLS releases, with Barnett’s voice and sparse guitar plucking creating an emotional, somber feel. The use of accordion and flute in the background works very well and shows that Barnett is willing to experiment. “I Know You Heard Me the First Time” has a deeper, more precisely produced sound. This calmer, more precise popish sound perfectly fits the Hush Records sound. “43C” is the only song that is true to the older KoLS sound: just Barnett’s vocals and guitar. Even with broke down to this quieter level, these songs are still soft rock songs with a deeply personal feel, never taking that whiney singer/songwriter folk feel. The closer, “Timber,” is one of my favorite songs. With a textured, layered sound of guitars and piano, light drums, and Barnett’s reaching voice, this song has a very powerful and heartfelt feel yet maintains a nice pop sound.
Although this album has much more of a consistent full-band sound than the other KoLS releases I’ve heard, it still is something of a piecemeal project. The members accompanying Barnett vary on each song, and these songs were recorded at a number of different times and places. Still, it flows surprisingly well, and the addition of drums and bass to Barnett’s emotional voice and stellar guitar makes these songs deeply personal and powerful. There’s even a greater degree of rocking going on here than you might expect from this band’s previous releases, and it works remarkably well.