Bent Knee ‘You Know What They Mean’ Review: Boston indie rockers go deep and unique on latest release.
Boston art rock collective Bent Knee have been making music for over a decade, weaving an ever more complex and engaging sound in the process. And on their new album You Know What They Mean (Oct. 11 InsideOutMusic/Sony) the six-piece Berkley School of Music grads have reached a new apex in sound, forged over adversity and gathered experience.
After a brief soundbite of onstage banter, things kick off with Bone Rage, underpinned by a snaky, rubbery riff, with mighty-lunged vocalist (and synth player) Courtney Swain emitting a cascade of wails over the songs labyrinthine soundscapes.
Give Us The Gold follows, and its another showcase for Swain’s impressive range, gliding across the tracks’s mix of guitar, synth and violin (courtesy of Chris Baum), while Hold Me In is an unholy hybrid of disco funk and ambient soundscapes.
lovemenot is a miasma of sonic textures, its mix of electronics and doom metal atmospherics recalling Chelsea Wolfe, while Bird Song is an exercise in restraint, with only Swain’s vocals and keyboards used to moving effect.
Cradle of Rocks is the highlight of the album, beginning with Swain’s voice manipulated into a whale song before a grungy guitar riff kicks the song into overdrive. The chorus moves into New Wave territory and an aggressively catchy one at that. And Catch Light is a close second; its the album’s poppiest moment, with a widescreen chorus that will be instantly lodged in your brain.
One thing that makes Bent Knee so engaging is how they can use complex musical concepts and odd time signatures that are easily accessible. Sure it might take a few listens for your ears to untangle the knots of sound shards in the bluesy and rumbling Garbage Shark or the extreme dynamics of Egg Replacer, but you’ll be humming them soon enough.
Golden Hour is lovely and meditative, with Swain’s golden croon coalescing along oceanic synths before building into a Sigur Ros-ish climax, while album closer It Happens offers an atonal and halting delivery, ending the album on an unresolved yet plaintive note.
All in all, You Know What They Mean shows a band at the peak of their creative powers. They’re making music that stretches their abilities that will engage listeners who crave something both challenging and catchy.
Live Dates:
October 14 Allston, MA Great Scott (album release show)
– Nov. 7 to Dec. 14 with Thank You Scientist –
November 7 Rochester, NY The Montage Music Hall
November 8 Akron, OH Musica
November 9 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme
November 10 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen
November 12 Minneapolis, MN 7th St. Entry
November 14 St. Louis, MO The Firebird
November 15 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck
November 16 Denver, CO Globe Hall
November 17 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
November 19 Seattle, WA Columbia City Theater
November 20 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
November 21 Portland, OR Dante’s
November 22 Sacramento, CA Holy Diver
November 23 San Jose, CA The Ritz
November 24 Los Angeles, CA The Bootleg Theater
November 25 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room
November 27 Scottsdale, AZ Constellation Room
November 29 Austin, TX Empire Control Room
November 30 Dallas, TX Three Links
December 1 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
December 3 Atlanta, GA Purgatory at The Masquerade
December 4 Tampa, FL Crowbar
December 6 Charlotte, NC State Theatre
December 7 Richmond, VA Canal Club
December 8 Washington, DC Union Stage
December 10 Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Music Hall
December 11 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
December 12 Fairfield, CT StageOne
December 13 Asbury Park, NJ Asbury Lanes
December 14 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
