Thursday, October 25, 2018

Where The Time Goes [3]: And The Kids - Turn to Each Other (2015); Friends Share Lovers (2016).



Today we return to the albums that the band «And The Kids» has released so far as constituting a beautiful example of how the temporal flow helps to emphasize what was already quite obvious at the time they were released: they are true masterpieces. “Turn to Each Other” and “Friends Share Lovers” remain sonically fabulous and continue to provide a fascinating aesthetic experience. Honestly, I can't see these two albums as separate entities, considering they somehow seem to work or were created as Part One and Two of the same work. A dark side and a not so dark side, although both extremely nostalgic for the past and nostalgic for the future. There is a whole nostalgia of anxiety that runs through them and sustains them in an aura of unquestionable beauty.



One of the most compelling things about these two albums is the way the band has managed, unconsciously I believe, to connect with a wide range of different listeners, from Gen X to Gen Y, with a mix of life experiences that people they can truly identify themselves despite the algorithmic circumstance and peculiarity of the paths taken and not taken by each individual, a fact that constitutes their existential project. Throughout the range of songs that appear on both albums, a strong sense of timelessness emerges emerging from one song to the next, which transforms them almost into authentic anthems.



These two albums could perfectly be one. A double album. It would be one of those cases where less is more would be a fallacy. Both albums are interconnected by a peculiar lyrical intensity and musical inventiveness that allows the listener to enjoy an incredible array of addictive and moving songs. The listening experience of these albums shares a singular sense of complement and aesthetic coherence that recalls those progressive rock and psychedelic folk albums from the early 70s that seemed to tell a musical story made up of myths and realities. Time is the great “pressure test” to assess the quality of artistic production in general. There are many albums that are unbearable to listen to just a few months after they are released; in exactly the opposite sense, these two albums by the band «And The Kids» pass the “pressure test” of time with a gratifying result and such brilliance that they will be remembered forever.