Kamillion
Kamillion
Happy Guy
Believe it or not, Kamillion is a band from Venice that doesn’t play punk rock or Jimmy Buffet covers. This most recent disc was produced and arranged by drummer John Rotolante, who obviously did a good job… there are lots of clever ins and outs between the instruments. The overall timbre of this recording conjures up fairy tale-like imagery in my mind for some reason. The songs on this album are pretty long (compared to Green Day!) and that’s not a complaint… the average is about four and a half-minutes if you care to do the math. Krys Wood’s vocals remind me of a toned-down Gene Ween (without the drugs and silly lyrics, though!), and his falsetto harmonies are quite controlled. Track 1 is a good, catchy pop song called “Balerina.” Dominant chords galore! Bryan Reynolds’ and Marcus Cervenka’s guitar tracks are panned hard stereo, creating a very cool effect on the rhythm tracks. They take turns soloing, ranging in style from bendy blues to Eddie Van Halen-type tremolo picking and tapping. All the songs included have stereo guitar tracks that are also very well orchestrated. The six and half-minute “Stain” has some really great vocal harmonies.
The playing is technically well-executed throughout this record, which complements the strong song-writing, tight rhythmic sense, and structural clarity. I think Brian’s bass guitar could have been just a little more prominent in the mix, but it’s played well and does its job. “Cop De Grass” starts out with more dominant chords, and a flip-floppy syncopated drum pattern. At first I couldn’t figure out how the hell John was inserting those neato rim shots on the snare. Then I realized it’s overdubbed percussion. Nice, though. I really like the chorus on “Abandoned,” too. Catchy. The damn thing is stuck in my head now. Overall, this is a well-written mixture of original melodic rock & ballad tunes. Happy Guy Music, 537 US 41 Bypass N., Venice, FL 34292
