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Fun Fun Fun review: Kaki King
Brooklyn’s Kaki King has built a career on her textured, finger-picked guitar stylings. So it was a shame that you couldn’t hear her guitar at her Sunday set.
King kicked off her set with “Falling Day” from this year’s “Junior.” Her fingers danced over the body of her slightly distorted three-fourths sized guitar for the opening riff, and the urgent, punk-tinged rhythm soon kicked in behind her. Suddenly, the guitar was very hard to hear. But the real problem mostly seemed to stem from third member Dan Brantigan’s instrument, the EVI. As Brantigan blew into the electronic instrument, which looked like a cross between a flute and a saxophone, it emitted booming bass notes and wavering whistles. But most of the time, these notes barely seemed to blend with King’s playing. In fact, it often just sounded like moaning feedback from a microphone, which surely gave some members of the audience a headache.
Nonetheless, the EVI played a crucial role on “Junior,” and the band didn’t seem to notice that the mix was off. The members barreled through the rest of the set, and occasionally you’d get a taste of King’s playing, such as on the metal-tinged “Death Head.” But the quieter numbers suffered the most. “Doing the Wrong Thing,” from 2004’s “Legs to Make Us Longer,” is one of King’s most textured, enrapturing instrumentals. The rapid fire of the Western-tinged progression floats over strings and soft, rolling drums. But with the EVI in the mix, you were lucky to catch five consecutive seconds of guitar.
Experimental instrumentation can often yield great results. But in a case like King’s, a bass guitar probably would have been much more flattering to her sound.
Photo by Tammy Perez FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN
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