The Kickback gives Great Self Love, need I say more?

Indigenous Newpapermen circa 1980.mp3 The Kickback, Great Self Love …. buy it! (that’s an itunes link, dearies)

This EP made it into my inbox recently and it’s been kicking shit outta there ever since! Sorry other mp3s, The Kickback is making room for itself and it’s not taking prisioners! This band grabbed me right from the start. Their EP, Great Self Love, is a sweet little collection of four songs that evoke a bit of that Scottish sound (Glasvegas, We Were Promised Jetpacks, etc.) and map it right onto a solid Midwestern base. What you end up with is strong songwriting that showcases Billy Yost’s rich vocals and well-placed lyrics. It doesn’t hurt that The Kickback’s backup vocals punctuate perfectly,  melodies that stick in your head for days. These songs don’t exactly have a hook. They’re full of hooks, one right after the other, not in a cheesy way but in four tracks, this band has filled my brain with ten or so pleasantly, memorable refrains.

I think you’ll find “Indigenous Newspaper Men circa 1980″ is one to sing along to, as well as a great start to an EP.  It’s been on repeat for the past few days here. “Rough City” has a melancholy feel to it that I’m guessing is going to be chilling in a live context. It’s also a good example of some thrifty songwriting, a little goes a long way here.  A noticeable change in pace hits you a bit hard on “Counselor” and I like it that way. This one has a nice twist to it and might be the catchiest of the bunch. And then they take you home with a six minute track, “Burner (Things I Know Nothing About).” They ease you into it, and then The Kickback give you a nice noisy finish, sprinkled with some reverb. Great Self Love is the handjob you saved up for, trust me. You can catch them tonight at the Empty Bottle, xoxo

(Yeah, I’ll catch you up on all these shows eventually, I’m out every night this week it seems! Geeze! Tonight, I’m just in from a killer show. Apteka was simply gorgeous, as I knew they’d be. The new song, “Aragon” was fucking rocking! Next up, the Depreciation Guild simply brought it and woo’d the crowd as they do. Their new album translated so very well and the places where they plumped up tracks with some additional guitar bits were divine! It’s always good to see them. I listened to much of Serena Maneesh, I know Baby Stew will tell you more about it. He was enthralled!!!)

Tour Dates

04/17/10-Rockford, Il @ Mary’s Place
09/11/10-Vermillion, SD @ Ribs Rods & Rock N’ Roll