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Kinski — Stumbledown Terrace
(Bandcamp Comedy Minus One cmo055lp, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-04-30

Stumbledown Terrace Cover art

The general description of Kinski is “a Seattle psychedelic rock band.” But of course that tells you almost nothing about how they sound. Other psychedelic rock bands are Grateful Dead, Acid Mothers Temple, Pretty Things, Black Angels, Os Mutantes, and Les Rallizes Dénudés, none of whom sound much like any of the others. Saying they’re from Seattle may bring up images of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Posies, Queensrÿche, or even The Sonics — again, not much help in describing music. Kinski has been around since the late 90s, with changes in style and personnel over the years, but it’s safe to say they’re closer to Acid Mothers Temple than Pretty Things, with a brand of psychedelia that tends towards noise and droning riffs that develop in their own time. Except when they do something completely different. One of the things that has made the band such an enduring force is their refusal to adhere to any one sound or style. Stumbledown Terrace is their ninth or tenth album, depending on how you count — they even made a reference to this ambiguity with a previous album called 7 (or 8) — and they range from the short, fast punk blast of “Experimental Hugs” to the slow-building post-rock mini-epics “Do You Like Long Hair” and “Slovenian Fighting Jacket.” You even get some acoustic sounds on “Her Absence Feels Like a Presence.” For this release, Kinski is a trio: Lucy Atkinson (bass), Chris Martin (guitar), and Barrett Wilke (drums). Atkinson and Martin were founding members, and Wilke joined in 2002, so the players are finely attuned to each other and on the same wavelength aesthetically. The majority of the album is instrumental, and Martin handles the singing when called for. Kinski’s distinctive take on rock is in fine form here, and the album would serve as a great introduction for those unfamiliar with their sound. Stumbledown Terrace might best be described as post-rock with an infusion of psychedelia and a touch of punk, and is a worthy entry in their long catalog.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Kinski

More info
http://kinskiseattle.bandcamp.com/album/stumbledown-terrace

 

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