Gravity And Friction
Big And Just Little, 2019
9/10
Listen to Gravity And Friction
The (mostly) Montana outfit return with a 3rd album, and much like everything King Ropes has done it’s difficult to categorize, but easy to enjoy.
“Saint Peter” starts the album soft and mysterious with an ambient version of Americana influenced indie-rock, and “Butterfly Joint” follows with a mix of strings and loud guitars in a quirky alt-rock meets art-rock meshing.
A listen where each song explores different territories, “California Stars” takes on garage rock ideas with plenty of exploration, while “Brown” recruits spoken word and orchestral moments in a psyche-rock package.
Near the end, the title track finds the quintet flirting with desert rock on an unclassifiable highlight, and “Giacomo’s Assistant” offers strings in a dark, moody, adventurous journey. The record ends on “These Days”, where ambience and texture invade the atypical twang.
In the hands of many others, an approach like this would be a fumbling mess. However, when King Ropes take it on, we get unconventional melodies, unique arrangements and a creativity that runs parallel with names like Lou Reed and Stephen Malkmus.
Travels well with: The Velvet Undergound- Loaded; Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot