Tales of Kamanakera gives a sense of place and setting but lacks a sense of character, personality or narrative. The album sounds like it was birthed by a group of technically proficient musicians that wanted to bring theory centric composition to a singer songwriter record. Unfortunately the songwriting, from a lyrical/melodic lens, was misfired. Few musical ideas work long enough to stay engaging.
The record plays like Midwest emo, with aspirations to be dream pop, while missing the pop mark. The instrumental landscape is filled with bright palettes of moody synth pads and sparkling guitar leads all backed with punchy drums that appropriately match the energy of the other instrumental performances. Brave New Machines makes a positive early impression by acting as a sampler. It progresses through bends and avenues that keep the listener entertained and without pulling them out of their footholds yet still manages to become more grandiose with each section. The music oozes vibrancy through creative chord progressions and synth work that make up for a lack of identifiable personality at the front of the arrangement. Brand New Machine captures interest but does not cement the sound as most openers would. Problematically it offers excitement by showing what the listener may expect throughout the record in bite sized portions but the other tracks fail to deliver on that promise.
Numbers like Muted Colors add a touch of despair to the mix but through the busyness of the instrumental and oft obnoxious vocals it is tough to finish. Generally on this record the hushed vocals are ill fitted to the music. Typically this vocal style lends itself to intimate and personable performance but the absolute lack of personality in the lyrical content paired with the complexity of the instrumental aspects of the music detract from the delivery. It sounds like a fight between the vocal and the instrumental components. The album works best when the vocals are used as an instrument and not at the forefront of the mix. Respect Your Idols is another track that doesn't add to the album in terms of melody, lyric or instrumentals and following Muted Colors it doesn't do enough to bring me back in.
The lyrical components of the record leave much to be desired. The lyrics are primarily abstract and delivered rhythmically which does not meld well with the more subdued and vocal centric tracks. The vocals add a harmonic bridge to the music which makes it easier to settle into as each song progresses but they fail to function as the centerpiece they are presented to be. The vocal harmonies definitely add interest to these tracks and help to add some extra dynamic to the primarily flat production.
Tales of Kamanakera is not a wasted endeavor. The talent on display in this group is apparent however the meat of the music is joined to the broken bones and tattered lungs of the songwriting at the root of it all. Outside of flat production the instrumental aspects of the record are about as polished as can be but the failed moments fall on the songs themselves.
