Kinski

by Eric J. IannelliWhile debating the merits of analog vs. digital recording in a Seattle pub, guitarist Chris Martin and bassist Lucy Atkinson were interrupted by the bartender, drummer Dave Weeks. He said, definitively, that analog was superior; thus Kinski came into being. This same spontaneity would come to define their multi-layered noise-rock, reminiscent of Sonic Youth at their most experimental. Kinski began playing live in 1998. By the summer of 1999, the trio had released its first record, Space Launch for Frenchie. With six songs clocking in at 45 minutes, it inevitably sparked some debate of its own: EP or LP? Later that year, the band explored newer textures in their live set, and friend Matthew Reid Schwartz (guitar, keyboards) was added to the lineup. Kinski has toured with Mainliner (Japan), Hovercraft, and Silkworm. In 2001, their follow-up, Be Gentle with the Warm Turtle, arrived. Two years later, the group returned with their Sub Pop debut, Airs Above Your Station. A split release with Acid Mothers Temple was also issued in 2003. A West Coast tour supporting Mission of Burma coincided with Kinski's fourth album, Don't Climb on and Take the Holy Water, in spring 2004. Alpine Static followed in 2005. 2007's Down Below It's Chaos added a '70s hard rock vibe and vocals to their intense drones.