Customer Reviews

Flight of the Flynns

5 star:		(5)
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I became acquainted with Kunek when my daughter started taking guitar lessons from Jesse Tabish. I got to know Jesse and the rest of the band and was impressed with their dedication to their music. I bought Flight of the Flynns and just sat in awe and wonder as I listened to some of the most beautiful, inspiring, and amazing music I had ever heard. I must confess that I am an old guy, 45, but I my taste in music is eclectic. I listen to everything from Bach to the Beatles, with a little Elvis and Toby Keith thrown in to keep me honest. The intensity of Kunek's music is like nothing I have heard before. It is moving, sad and gut wrenching one moment then moves into an explosion of beauty that uplifts your soul.

The only thing more intense than this album is their live performance. [...]. Their live performances are a sensual sensation that can only be experienced not explained.

If you are looking for some great listening and are tired of the drivel that is pop music these days, then this album is for you. The genius that is Kunek reaches out from this album and speaks to your soul.

This band is great. While I don't have the time to go into a detailed review right now, I wanted to get it on Amazon's site so that others could briefly share in my excitement. Frankly, it's the best sound that I've encountered since Radiohead years ago. Indeed, they remind me of Pink Floyd in their ability to layer incredible musical harmonics and in their superb craftsmanship. It's clear that everyone in the band is a talented musician and given well over to creating a fantastic sound instead of just building one stereotypical billboard hit after the other. Indeed, this album is designed for a listen from start to finish and leaves me feeling heavy and thoughtful and surreal all at the same time. It's just so wonderful to know that there are still bands out there that can create this highly complex yet easily accessible type of sound. It bears mentioning that my introduction to them was a couple months ago when they played at the Mercury Lounge in New York City. I was just floored and had to buy the album then and there. It has yet to disappoint and seems to be on constantly ever since. Interestingly, they all seemed like really good people after the show as well. Down to earth and really pleased with what they have created. Two thumbs up big time!

First heard Kunek when I reviewed one of their songs on Garageband prior to the completion of this CD (a year or two ago). I was blown away by the song for being beautifully written and equally beautifully performed. I looked up the band on the web and learned they were "working on a CD". Well, this was the product they were working on, and the entire CD is as captivating and haunting as the first track I heard.

Why is it so nice? It's that rare music that is perfectly suited to just being on in the background, providing melody and atmosphere to whatever activity you happen to be buried in at that moment, as well as being music you can dive into and dissect mentally. Lush, interweaving melodies, provided mostly by acoustic guitars, pianos, bass and cello, really paint a pleasant soundscape. The occasional heavier drums and electric guitar come in, but just to alter the dynamic a bit. The recording/engineering quality of the music is quite nice as well. Good balance on the mix, with no one instrument overpowering the rest and the vocals (like a lower-registered Thom Yorke) blending nicely in a similar way.

What does it sound like? Well, if you took the more mellow acoustic cuts from Radiohead's "The Bends" or "OK Computer", and blended it with a touch of late 60's psychedelia and pop (a la late Beatles or early Floyd) you might get something similar. Though this won't help most people reading this review, it seems to have a similar muse to Aloha's "Here Comes Everyone", another fine disc that too many people unfortunately will never hear.

So, if you like the mellow, more acoustic side of Radiohead, early Pink Floyd or just nicely delivered, unobtrusive-but-still-captivating melody, this disc is probably for you.

I learned of this album after researching more about the band Other Lives. Kunek is the name they went by for their debut. To the best of my knowledge they are all the same members under the new name of Other Lives. As the title suggest, Simply Brilliant! In the overwhelming sea of new indie bands it's hard to find those really good bands that become staples in you collection. Although, that can be the case with any genre. Albums you can listen too over and over and never tire of are what I consider collection staples. These guys have two albums that that meet that criteria. The only way an album can accomplish this, in my opinion, is for the band members to be extremely talented and creative musicians. Each of the members of this group brings uber talent and have the ability to add levels of emotion to their playing style that when combined create fantastic music that one enjoys listening too numerous times. These guys are at the beginning of their careers that if managed well, could be compared with the greats such as The Doors, Pink Floyd, Wilco and Radiohead. Not that they sound anything like these bands but they share their same greatness. I highly recommend, as you can tell, to give this a listen and see if you don't agree.

amazingly beautiful. this is by far one of the best recordings by an independent group in years. i can listen to this cd for hours and recommend it to everyone i know. that are also great in concert. love this group!