Afternoon, all.
How's the weekend finding you?
Instead of driveling on about another album I loved when I was a teenager I thought I'd spend today's post writing about an artist whose work deserves more widespread appreciation. I write of the musician Kenna. I discovered the joy that is Kenna's first album, 'New Sacred Cow', while watching MTV2 one night in 2002 or 2003, the specifics are a bit fuzzy. What I do recall vividly (aside from the instant dating of this piece by referring to MTV2 playing actual videos) is the nature of the video for the song 'Hell Bent'. The video is essentially a mash up of Kenna's excellent single with the heart-breaking short film 'More' by Marc Osborne that incorporates stop motion elements to tell a tale of devotion and aspiration. The result is a video of hope and sorrow, about a young...person...who finds himself lost in a miserable world of endless toil. By putting the essence of his passion and person into a project he innovates and changes the world, only to lose that special spark inside forever. It's a little Twilight Zone-ish and more than a bit heavy on message but it still broke my heart as an idealistic young person. To this day I still find it moving, and the original short 'More' is considered to be one of the best shorts ever created, ranking in the top ten shorts on IMDB.
All of this served as an amazing introduction to Kenna's awesome album New Sacred Cow. Released in 2003, the album was critically adored but didn't see massive sales. It's really a shame that the album never took off in a big way because it really is a gorgeous, nuanced piece of work that shows just how talented and expressive Kenna can be. Due to label and management conflicts, the New Sacred Cow was delayed over two years before it was finally released, to which some have attributed the lackluster reception. Who could argue that artists can lose steam or buzz when going through two solid years of indeterminate delays? Regardless, the album was finally released in its complete form, to open arms in the right circles. The wider public, not so much, unfortunately.
Personally, I love the album. I had it in the back of my mind for the intervening years of hearing 'Hell Bent' and actually being able to buy it. It was the winter of my sophomore year in college, the ever present night fall of St. Paul's winters weighing heavily on my psyche. This was just before the internet exploded with massive amounts of blogging and free-exchange of ideas (p2p, torrents) so I never was able to download it. I was at a Cheapo Records with my friend Jimmy (yeah, this was right as iTunes took off, too) and he held up a copy and said "You ever heard of...Kenna?" with hesitation. My head snapped up from the used racks. "Oh my God, are you kidding?" I asked with excitement. It was the only copy in the store. I wouldn't let Jimmy buy it - I insisted I had to have it and would rip him a copy when I got home (sorry Kenna!). We listened to it in his car on the way back to my apartment, engrossed in what we heard.
The album is a wonderful mix of electro, synth-heavy new wave and piano-and-drum beats. Some tracks, like the single 'Freetime', are quite dance-able and up beat. The new wave tones of 'Redman' are strange and haunting, but nonetheless catchy and hypnotic. The verses have a great stuttering, off kilter back beat the hooks your ear with its unusual rhythm. 'Hell Bent' is all somber keyboards and electro loops, with Kenna's soothing voice over the arrangements. Kenna's voice is really the driving force here, but it never gets too in-your-face or upfront about the presentation. The entire sound scape is what Kenna is really creating on this album instead of a musician simply trying to show off their chops. His voice is smooth, but has great range. The beautiful and brooding 'Man Fading' is a great example of the textures and layering Kenna creates, with his voice complimenting the music instead of leading it.
New Sacred Cow is an album I not only listened to obsessively when I first bought it, but one that I keep coming back to in the following years. Some of the other posts and reviews I've written for this blog can give insight into my tastes - it should be no surprise this album fits so snugly into my wheelhouse. It's at different times smooth, funky, sorrowful and hopeful. The tones vary but the voice and mode stay the same. Kenna came right out of the gate with a phenomenal album that deserves much more love than it received. His follow up efforts, Make Sure They See My Face and his recent EPs Land 2 Air Chronicles and Songs for Flight, have brought more acclaim and steady buzz. Over the years his clout has grown, but near fast as it should have. Give him a listen and see what so many have been missing out on.
