
Kezia
The Dirty Affair
logic(il)logic Records
2015
Italy seems to be pumping out a #$#Tload of new music and bands, via a great number of independent labels, with various degrees of success and some interesting bands, actually popping up every now and again. Most of the Italian musicians are rather capable in terms of instrumental prowess, but on the other hand, their ideas tend to vary a lot when it comes to songwriting, with most of them not being able to assimilate their local/ethnic influences but rather purposely or by accident seem to totemistically wear then on their collective sleeves.
Kezia, who came together in late 2013, have taken a page from a lot of different styles. Rock, progressive, swing, electro and pop and decided to call their bouillabaisse: prop-metal, some sort of bizarre prog, crossover metal that can’t hide its Italian origin even if it tried, but at the same time doesn’t mind. At times it feels like the greatest thing in the world and at others as a right mess... And it’s both. Bands that successfully managed to jump between genres in their songs, especially ones that don’t seem to be neighboring tend to do so, by being quite structured and not as chaotic. At least they don’t do it, for the sake of doing it. They tend to also be all over the place, with suicidal cats, that decide to snuff it, because of the “debt crisis” in “Before I Leave”, people eating turtles in “Ebola”(?!?)…
Bizarre crossovers “The Dirty Affair” (Between Pelican and Bear)” (oooer missus bear?) which because of its rather poppy chorus, is a bit easier on the ears... immortal rovers, “Sneakers”, the inequality around us, manifested by “Barabba Son’s Song”, where there’s a complain about why everyone talks about Jesus, but not Barabbas, expressed by his (!) son! Other-worldly gates in pubs in “Quendo” – a moment of peace in “Preludio” and Botany in “Treesome” (eh?)! There’s theatricality and potential in these guys and I have to give it to them for not doing the “obvious” but they need to “perfect” their style, further…