Sky Larkin - Kaleide

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4...according to our Brian on Thu 05 Aug, 2010.

Now Sky Larkin I've not heard in a while. They still sound quite like an early-mid 90's American band somewhere between Tsunami, Sleater-Kinney Crowsdell & The Spinanes with a large splodge of contemporary UK indie like Blood Red Shoes. The feisty guitars still chink & jangle & burr in that trebly, spiky way; t' lasses voice is still shrill, girly & sharp; the energetic drums & solid bass tumble, tangle, rumble & bluster through countless dynamic & high-octane indie pop/rock numbers. It's mainly a total pleasure to hear them run, nay sprint, through this new set as they've totally NOT compromised their style - therefore they come across like a blast from the past, still refreshing & impressive but strangely out-of-time (like all the best bands) Don't tell Business Lady I've a soft spot for these, she'll only sneer at me with her massive sultry lips all contorted into new unfathomable shapes.

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Artrocker ALBUM OF THE SUMMER: “Sky Larkin’s” second album has sleeper cult classic written all over it”

Leeds trio Sky Larkin release their second album Kaleide on 9th August. Written in the crypt beneath a Victorian church somewhere in deepest Yorkshire and recorded in Seattle, Kaleide is an exhilarating album bursting with ideas and energy and glowing song-craft. Sky Larkin returned to Seattle to record Kaleide with the producer of their debut album The Golden Spike, John Goodmanson (Girls, Blonde Redhead, Sleater-Kinney). As the album title suggests, the record has many moods and colours, twists and turns, and always with an ear-catching line or soaring chorus. At the heart of Sky Larkin’s sound lie Katie Harkin’s melodic, dancing guitar lines and her crystal clear vocals, which reveal the vivid imagery and inventive wordplay of her lyrics. Drummer Nestor Matthews and bassist Doug Adams are no less important, bringing the kind of power to the songs that could launch rockets. There are big pop moments - in the title track, first single Still Windmills and the chanting Year Dot and there are beautiful, reflective moments in the shape of Tiny Heist and the mysterious mantra of album highlight Angelica Houston. Sky Larkin formed in Leeds with school friends Katie and Nestor writing and rehearsing in bedrooms and garages. Doug joined a little later and it wasn’t long before they caught the attention of Wichita Recordings and their debut The Golden Spike was released to great acclaim in January 2009. iTunes named The Golden Spike in its best alt. records of the year and this past spring, the BBC named it ‘one of the best records you mightn’t have heard in 2009’. Sky Larkin have played in 16 countries on 3 continents, sharing bills with the likes of Broken Social Scene, The Gossip, Los Campesinos! and Conor Oberst. They recently toured with The Cribs and a played Stateside tour with label mates Peggy Sue. There is a timeless, international scope to Sky Larkin’s sound, echoing the likes of The Breeders, Violent Femmes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but to compare Sky Larkin directly to any singular band or record however would be doing them an injustice.

Tracklisting:

01. Still Windmills 02. Kaleide 03. Tiny Heist 04. Landlocked 05. Anjelica Huston 06. Spooktacular 07. Year Dot 08. Coffee Drinker 09. ATM 10. Shade By Shade 11. Guitars and Antarctica 12. Smarts (Shh Version)

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