Description
Being an accredited member of the so-called indie underground hasn’t prevented Matthew E. White from accruing the critical kudos he so decidedly deserves. While his solo releases have been limited — K Bay is only his third individual offering and his first in six years — his collaborations have elevated him to a relatively prominent plateau, positioning that brings a reliable reputation.
On K Bay, White focuses on pristine production across these 11 songs, many of which exceed five minutes in length. Throughout, the percussion is unrelenting, while the correlation between fat bass riffs and dexterous guitar licks on ‘Nested’ and ‘Genuine Hesitation’, in particular, are obnoxiously groovy. The sonic audacity characterising this album works because White wholeheartedly embraces excess – in emotion as well as instrumentation.
At the core of the record is the revival of 1970s funk that has influenced so many artists in recent years, but White doesn’t rely entirely on this resurgence. There are tender moments on the Kinks-like acoustic ballad ‘Shine A Light For Me’, and disco hooks erupting on ‘Judy’. In all, an impressive display of dynamism from Matthew E. White.
There’s little not to like, and those that appreciate abject originality plied from a generally left-of-center persona ought to find K Bay a mostly pleasing proposition.
