Full of Mezzo-Forte

There was only one rock band from Italy that I could name in the snap of a finger and that’s Negazione, who I was introduced to by my punk rock friends back in the mid-eighties.

That was until recently. Now I can name another, and that’s KASH. Apparently, they’ve been recording since 1999, dropping several elpeez in between then now. They are almost unanimously described as “math-rock,” but since I have no idea what “math-rock” means, I cannot argue for or against the claim. What I can tell you is this: It took awhile for these tracks to sink in. These are extremely understated arrangements, stripped down to bare essentials, totally devoid of gimmick and/or flash.

THERE ARE NO EARWORMS. The KASH payoff comes with repeated listening, when the lean, taut rhythms reveal the tension writhing just below the surface of these crisp, clean recordings. Feeling alienated? KASH understands and will then double yer payoff.