|
 JOHN
MITCHELL is best known as the guitarist for prog
rock group
Arena, as well as heading up his own band
The
Urbane as singer, guitarist and songwriter, and
playing guitar for John Wetton amongst others. He
also runs his own recording studio in Reading.
 PETE TREWAVAS has had a hugely successful
career for over 20 years as the bass player for the
world-renowned band
Marillion. He has also enjoyed critical acclaim
with his prog rock 'supergroup' side project
Transatlantic with members from Dream Theater,
Flower Kings and Spock's Beard.
 JOHN
BECK was the keyboard player for cult Cumbrian rock
band
It Bites, who have recently reformed and
recorded new material for an album and tour in 2005. He
has also played keyboards for Alan Parsons,
John Wetton, and Chris Norman, and was
principal writer in his own Unicorn Jones
project.
 CHRIS
MAITLAND was the drummer for
Porcupine Tree for what most fans consider to
be their most critically acclaimed albums. Chris is now
a very much in demand session drummer, playing drums in
three of the most popular West End musical productions.
Kino: “Picture“
In view of his artistic spectrum and virtuosity it is no
surprise that It Bites keyboardist John Beck is a
musician much in demand. This led to the birth of an
excellent band that makes sophisticated rock music
combined with progressive rock elements. And not only
this, but also the fact that a few well-known musicians
had a detailed talk with their label boss, which is
rarely the case, as mockers observe.
Apart from John Beck and guitar player and singer John
Mitchell (Arena, The Urbane), Kino also features Pete
Trewavas (Marillion, ex-Transatlantic) on bass and
Porcupine Tree‘s former drummer Chris Maitland.
“InsideOut boss Thomas Waber asked me if I would mind
doing something similar like The Urbane, however, with a
stronger prog attitude,“ says John Mitchell. “He showed
an interest in the musicians I would like to play with.
I instantly thought of John Beck whom I had met on a
tour in Japan with John Wetton. So that set the ball
rolling.“
“I talked with Thomas Waber about Neal Morse leaving
Transatlantic and about possible future projects,“ adds
Pete Trewavas. “I said to him I would like to do
something with John Beck sometime. So when he told me
about the potential new duo Beck/Mitchell I was
immediately enthusiastic about this line-up.“ Trewavas
eventually brought in Chris Maitland. Both knew each
other from the time when Porcupine Tree were support act
for Marillion. Now Kino was complete and the work on the
debut album “Picture“ could begin. All members agreed
that this band should be in no way a one hit wonder. “We
all consider it to be a long-term band. For us it’s a
very important thing and we want to make the best of
it“, says Mitchell. And Trewavas adds: “Kino definitely
is a band with a vision. We want to play the debut album
live, and we already talked about recording new songs.“
Good news, because when you listen to “Picture” you will
most likely listen to it once again and wish to hear
more from those guys. Bands have rarely used so many
harmony vocals. Melodies rarely sound so pleasing and
fresh at the same time. Dissonant sounds rarely fit so
perfectly into the entire structure of the music so that
listening to it brings so much pure pleasure. All that
and even more do these ten songs offer on “Picture”.
There are touches of Asia and Queen. Flash lights are
flickering which reminds one of Police (vibraphone in
”Telling You“), Genesis (driving basses and organs in
”People“) or Yes (second half of ”Holding On“). Solo and
acoustic guitars often sound so soft and fabulous just
like with the early Steve Hackett, but one can also
rejoice in ecstasy when listening to ”All You See“.
Beck’s wonderful piano playing puts Supertramp in the
shade (“Swimming In Women“), and his excellent wind and
string sections are dominating a lot of songs, yet
without overloading them. And with Trewavas/Maitland,
the right rhythm section is at the right place at the
right time.
Lovely and harsh sounds are in balance with Kino,
sometime it goes a little bit more in one direction,
then in the other. And the title track is a true piano
ballad, ”Perfect Tense“ almost something like a jazz-pop
influenced hit, and the opener ”Losers Day Parade“ with
its nine minutes of original ideas is a candidate for an
art rock classic. Most of all, its middle part is a
highlight: first it surprisingly brings in the Beatles,
then Canterbury, and finally – after a short digression
into heavy rock riffs – a lavish and conclusive motif
with vocals and organ follows. Kino is, without a doubt,
a true addition for the enigmatic landscape of elevated
rock music where innovation and nostalgia are
stimulating themselves mutually. And that the band can
offer a lot on stage was proved before an impressed
audience at their first official gig in Cologne in
December which was filmed and broadcasted by the TV
programme “WDR Rockpalast”. Those who have watched Beck,
Mitchell, Maitland, and Trewavas know that the band’s
name is programmatic, because this was big cinemascope
for the ears.
“Picture“ is released as normal edition in jewel case as
well as special edition in digipak, with an extended
booklet and a bonus DVD containing the highlights of the
“Rockpalast“ concert. |
