Kant Kino
Echoes of the End
Alfa Matrix
The very first record reviewed on I Die: You Die was Kant Kino’s 2011 debut LP We Are Kant Kino – You Are Not, a pleasing mixture of dark electro, modern (for the time) production and a healthy dose of EBM. Notably, the Norwegian duo’s approach was very much in line with the movement towards melody and complex arrangements that was being plied by acts as diverse as Necro Facility, Encephalon and Aesthetic Perfection. It was a welcome sound in the era of staid club music, and importantly one which is still present on their new double-album Echoes of the End.
Coming in at a massive 24 tracks, it’s a record that nicely pinpoints Kenneth Fredstie and Lars Madsen’s strengths as composers and producers. You’ve got immediate, memorable hooks and choruses (“Die Hard”, “Defeat”), blends of clean, harsh and vocoded vocals (the uptempo “Scream” particularly makes good use of each approach), and well assembled songs that establish themselves immediately and hold together over multiple listens. While the band have often dipped deeper into body music sounds in the past, the sound here sticks broadly to the melodic side of electro-industrial. while occasionally bordering tastefully on aggrotech (as on the excellent “Run”). In particular, it’s smooth, groovable electro vibe has dancefloor appeal but isn’t entirely beholden to it; some of the best moments are the mid-tempo head nodders like “Bastard” where their choices in design and execution are most apparent.
Aside from Kant Kino’s consistency with song and studio craft, their unique sensibility remains intact. Partially its in their sense of humor – “Rodney” uses an unlikely set of samples from a viral comedy video in an otherwise serious song – and partially its in their application of different musical signifiers, like the EBM grunts on “The End”, or the operatic vocals and syncopated breaks on “Ain’t Over?”. In practice, it’s these small touches and ideas that keep the album rolling; a genre record of this length is always gonna run the risk of getting stale over a runthrough, but the occasional combo breaker like the big beat touched “Intermission” helps stave off repetition.
To that point, there’s a pretty natural break at the halfway mark, between “Ain’t Over?” and “Run” (the latter of which recalls their stone classic club jam “Owner of This House Lives Here”) that suggests that this might have been two distinct albums at some point. A speculative point for certain, but not entirely implausible given the near decade since their last LP was released, and one that speaks to its consistency and listenability. Echoes to the End is a remarkably enjoyable record in a distinct style, and demonstrates ably why Kant Kino are still who they are, and why everyone else is not. Recommended.
