Kafkadiva
“Maybe” from the “Bit Toes and Fingers” album
What a fun number! It’s a standout in a fun album that has many others. For sure, Kafkadiva is a band to watch for and this debut album is a real treat.
I chose this one song in particular for the awesome contrast between the gritty rocking part and the laid-back, almost jazzy part. Plus, the lyrics are hilarious and clever. It’s a short tune, as most songs on this album, but it’s really well condensed and thought of.
On this tune, there’s not time for an intro it seems, from the get go we’re in gritty urgent territory, great riff from a distorted guitar, staccato drums (with cowbell!), clever bass, even the distortion from the digital overs is adding to the vibe. And yet, it’s not heavy metal, this is more of an early punk style, think MC5 or the Ramones, there is the same urgency here. On top of a great sequence of drops/starts, Louise’s almost fragile vocal enters (with some superb scarce doubling) and she’s killing it with her fun delivery of the “kiss your ass” line. You cannot help but smile there!
The lyrics are falsely self deprecating and fun, and she’s delivering them so well! Now it seems the whole song is actually in reverse and we start with the chorus which works pretty well. After a second chorus, we are treated with a laid back bluesy/jazzy sequence, with a great bass line and fun little guitar adlibs, the drums are holding steady but with a laid-back feel. As I said, it’s the contrast between these sections that really makes the track for me. This goes back and forth a couple of times, but the last time around, Louise is reversing it to her advantage. I’ll leave you to discover how…
Verdict: 5/5 beards
Go grab that little wonder of an album right here: https://kafkadiva.bandcamp.com/