What does Kevin Galland sound like?
Wistful lo-fi folk and noise rock.
The review of Kevin Galland – From The Mountains To The Sea
For his first solo release, Kevin Galland (Coilguns, Closet Disco Queen) has released an EP that focuses on longing to be home. What struck me was that finding an obvious genre to call home might be something Kevin is musing about too. Across five tracks he gallops across a gambit of emotions, styles and subgenres, ensuring he is entrancing whatever he turns his hand to.
Opening with lo-fi folk, ‘The Nameless Shepherd’ is a sombre and quiet piece. Mixing cowboy whistles with acoustic guitars, the whole track has a lonely wander feel to it. Kevin’s voice is roughly recorded as if he is hunkered down in a rustic room and the whole track has a timeless quality to it. I’m reminded a little of Peter Ulrich’s solo music but that comparison is immediately dispelled. ‘The Crownless King’ is a riotous rock anthem. A full wall of sound that has been dirtied and muddied smashes through in the chorus. There are long-tail guitar wails and huge drums too. I feel a million miles away from quaint folk and yet there are moments of bard folk thrown in to connect the two tracks together.
Sat somewhere between the opening tracks is ‘The Crowned Beggar’. This track is electric and broody but holds off on big bass or any percussion. Instead, it leans into a plugged folk style where the mood is heavy and downbeat but actually quite pacey. The track is topped and tailed with a spooky chorus of Kevin’s voice calmly and slightly eerily oohing. Veering off the compass again, ‘The Forsaken Breath’ is a screaming horror show of noise metal. Drums crash and roll like tumbling bodies. Kevin, who so far has kept a restrained and soothing folk tone now screams like Chelsea Wolfe or Lingua Ignota. It is so visceral, the first time I heard the track I was genuinely shocked at the energy blasting through at me – it is a truly haunted and unhinged piece. With all that emotion outpouring, the piano takes centre stage for the closing track ‘The Found Sailor’. A hushed, low-toned Galland is like a whispered Nick Cave as he muses over a gothic melodic delight. The track is beautiful but it also concludes the release with a beautiful closing verse that describes home perfectly.
And in the end, facing the sea.
Kevin Galland – The Found Sailor
He unearthed the mystery.
The very place between his bones.
This inner place he could call home.
‘From The Mountains To The Sea’ is a tour de force of ideas that feel like a person spinning off their axis… yet it makes total sense when you look at it as a full release. From tiny pianos and quaint folk to screaming about being cast away from a lover like a banshee, Kevin Galland whips up a wild ride. This is a great release from someone who is willing to experiment whilst keeping melody and emotion front and centre of their work. A hidden gem in lo-fi rock.
Recommended track: The Crowned Beggar
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Kevin Galland - From The Mountains To The Sea