Kobayashi  - Minus

To dub Croydon quartet Kobayashi a ‘progressive rock’ band may be both slightly misleading and a touch unjust, eschewing as they do almost all of the genre’s traditional hallmarks (no pan pipes or post-helium guzzling vocals here,) but putting aside a number of the term’s most decadent connotations the material displayed on debut album ‘Minus’ is certainly progressive in the purest sense of the word, neatly repulsing attempts to consign them to a handy generic pigeonhole with a refreshing display of innovation and musical exploration.

Over eleven varied tracks, Kobayashi call to mind a host of artists and ranges of sound, from trance to stoner, Nine Inch Nails to Tool and Bowie, while carving out a sound that is altogether their own. ‘Dead Head’ opens the album in a squall of guitar and electronics, underpinned by funky, growling bass, while the creeping dynamics of ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘The Dark House’ show a command of dark, brooding atmospherics; at first listen, one truly has little idea of what lurks around the corner. Take the intriguing juxtaposition of ‘Centre Yourself’ and ‘Everyone In Your Eyes’ as an example... the former a desolate, piano led lament, segueing unexpectedly into one of the most forthright rock tracks on the album, reminiscent of ‘Origin of Symmetry’ era Muse fronted by an aggrieved and gravel throated new vocalist.

Stitched together by snippets of electronic ambience and eccentric sampling, ‘Minus’ comes across as an organic and decidedly experimental work, brought together by a shared musical intelligence that speaks volumes of the band’s four years together thus far. Most of all, this needs to be heard, it’s imperfections and rough edges simply adding to the impression of a group of individuals in thrall to their rampant creativity and enthusiasm, great to see and hear. This is one hell of a debut; cast your mind back to the aforementioned Devon megastars in their formative years, and it must be said that Kobayashi are more than a match for their exploratory efforts. The future, for this lot, is unwritten.

www.kobayashirock.com.