Kellen & Me
Reviews
Francis D
Reviewed 2012-03-08
Reviewed 2012-03-08
“Kellen & Me” Kellen & Me
Kellen Kerwin is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter from Chicago. This is indie twee pop, with mostly whimsical, if sometimes a bit out there, lyrics. Kerwin plays almost all of the instruments on the CD (hence the Kellen & Me name), featuring guitar, keyboards and electronic drum lines. Most vocals are processed. The CD reminds me a lot of several Harry Nilsson albums (which may be obscure for many of you — but check out Me and My Arrow or Nilsson Schmilsson).
— Francis
Recommended: 9, 3 or 8. Borderline FCC on #6 (sings “God damn” several times).
1. (3:39) Also So Absurd — Light, breezy and sweet. Playful picking of guitar.
2. (3:10) Batteries & Frequencies — Syncopated, stop-and-go melody. Electronic tambourine shaking throughout.
3. (4:11) Space-Time Ride — Bouncy mix of guitar and calliope synth. ***
4. (4:32) The Earth, Someday… — Strumming guitar over sustained synth bed. Bongo drum rhythm.
5. (3:44) Hum~Bolt Tribute Song — Circus-like melody with a bass line like an oom-pah band. Contrasts with dark lyrics about drug dealing and related violence.
6. (2:35) Practical People — Hesitant pace. Bells. Handclaps. Borderline FCC. (God damn, sung several times.)
7. (4:07) The Lovers (Waltz) — Circus calliope again — in 3/4 time!
8. (3:58) Age of Eight — Dreamy, skipping guitar and vocals with rolling waves of synth and soft vocals. ***
9. (2:26) Why Are You? — Bright, uptempo twee pop melody — not as sweet as some. Reminiscent of Paul McCartney’s first LP. (Another obscure reference, I know…) ****
10. (4:45) So Long for Now, Goodbye… — More pensive than the rest of the CD. Nice guitar picking backing the vocals. Lengthy trail-out has a Western flavor.
Kellen Kerwin is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter from Chicago. This is indie twee pop, with mostly whimsical, if sometimes a bit out there, lyrics. Kerwin plays almost all of the instruments on the CD (hence the Kellen & Me name), featuring guitar, keyboards and electronic drum lines. Most vocals are processed. The CD reminds me a lot of several Harry Nilsson albums (which may be obscure for many of you — but check out Me and My Arrow or Nilsson Schmilsson).
— Francis
Recommended: 9, 3 or 8. Borderline FCC on #6 (sings “God damn” several times).
1. (3:39) Also So Absurd — Light, breezy and sweet. Playful picking of guitar.
2. (3:10) Batteries & Frequencies — Syncopated, stop-and-go melody. Electronic tambourine shaking throughout.
3. (4:11) Space-Time Ride — Bouncy mix of guitar and calliope synth. ***
4. (4:32) The Earth, Someday… — Strumming guitar over sustained synth bed. Bongo drum rhythm.
5. (3:44) Hum~Bolt Tribute Song — Circus-like melody with a bass line like an oom-pah band. Contrasts with dark lyrics about drug dealing and related violence.
6. (2:35) Practical People — Hesitant pace. Bells. Handclaps. Borderline FCC. (God damn, sung several times.)
7. (4:07) The Lovers (Waltz) — Circus calliope again — in 3/4 time!
8. (3:58) Age of Eight — Dreamy, skipping guitar and vocals with rolling waves of synth and soft vocals. ***
9. (2:26) Why Are You? — Bright, uptempo twee pop melody — not as sweet as some. Reminiscent of Paul McCartney’s first LP. (Another obscure reference, I know…) ****
10. (4:45) So Long for Now, Goodbye… — More pensive than the rest of the CD. Nice guitar picking backing the vocals. Lengthy trail-out has a Western flavor.
Recent airplay
Age Of Eight
Time Traveler — Dec 21, 2012
Why Are You?
Time Traveler — Jul 20, 2012
Why Are You?
Time Traveler — Jun 26, 2012
Why Are You?
Time Traveler — May 08, 2012
Why Are You?
Time Traveler — May 01, 2012
Why Are You?
Time Traveler — Apr 17, 2012
Charting
2012-03-10 — 2012-05-12
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| May 13 | 1 |
| May 6 | 1 |
| Apr 22 | 1 |
| Apr 8 | 2 |
| Apr 1 | 2 |
| Mar 25 | 1 |
| Mar 18 | 3 |
Track listing
| 1. | Also So Absurd | ||
| 2. | Batteries & Frequencies | ||
| 3. | Space-Time Ride | ||
| 4. | The Earth, Someday... | ||
| 5. | Hum~Bolt Tribute Song | ||
| 6. | Practical People | ||
| 7. | The Lovers {Waltz} | ||
| 8. | Age Of Eight | ||
| 9. | Why Are You? | ||
| 10. | So Long For Now, Goodbye... |