Kenisia release this, their second full length album on Household Name, and as you might expect, it’s packed full of ska-core riffery and rousing sax lines. But can it really cut the mustard? All the ingredients are there, and as the first track ‘Why Do I Remember?’ kicks in everything looks very rosy indeed. Mixing elements from Link 80 and the more obvious Capdown this song really does get the album off to a storming start. It’s upbeat and melodic, the perfect track for a ska mix tape or something like that. So far, so good.
Unfortunately, this standard isn’t sustained at a consistent rate. On their own, ‘I Don’t Like You’ and ‘Know Who I Am’ are fairly solid (if slightly derivative) combinations of scuzzy guitars, weaving saxophone melodies and those hard vocals that give this genre such a distinctive edge but that’s all they are. No attempt to innovate or really excite, and it seems like the band are just trying to fit as many crunchy riffs in as possible. the result is a few songs on the album that are frankly messy and let the rest of them down. To be honest, if this was just another UK Ska-core band then I’d be impressed, but the fact is that Kenisia have the potential to join Capdown in the high rankings of this isle’s premier ska bands.
This potential is demonstrated by the majority of songs, with ‘Breakdown’ and ‘Enemy’ showing that a more simplified, back-to-basics approach to songwriting can pay dividends. The riffs aren’t groundbreaking, there’s nothing especially new, but it all just fits together so well.
‘School’s Burning Down’ and ‘Dress Like A Pimp’ are the best tracks on this album, with the latter getting my vote for one of the best ska tunes I’ve heard from a UK band in the last few years for sure. It’s a bouncy sing-a-long-a-skankfest that has a touch of King Prawn, a dab of Sublime and more than a hint of Capdown. Personally, I found it more than slightly frustrating that Kenisia don’t exhibit and show off their obvious talents more often because as this track shows, they can kick it with the best of them. Technically it’s good, with a sax solo melding into a nice squealling guitar line, but never being far away from the classic line “You’re a big fat motherfucker” that just begs to be shouted out.
So what’s the verdict? An album of two halves, definitely. Let down by some dodgy tracks, the talents of this band are on show on more than a few occasions here, and I recommend this album for anyone into the more hard edged side of UK ska like the early Capdown or Link 80.
Ben