Cheap and Pretentious (label)
06 June 2017 (released)
24 August 2017
The brainchild of Spanish artist, M.D. Trello, The Kiss That Took a Trip is a boundless music project that fuses countless disparate elements to create a flowing sonic landscape that perpetually keeps the listener on the edge of their seat. The creations have a motion to them that conveys a vastness and an element of adventure. The mood is exotic yet one can't pinpoint the specific scent in the air. Moroccan desert, Arabian oasis, Bolivian nightclub, Indian Ocean, German warehouse. All are there dancing with each other.
The opener 'Ambient Punk' eases us from the shore with steadfast guitars and a brass fanfare. A lofty bass line guides the way while sunlight-on-the-water guitars shimmer in the morning light. Eventually, the waves of distortion overwhelm as a wistful piano invokes memories of past battles. The intro of 'Kill the Pole Dancer' is infested with the sound of clamoring cockroaches and other creepy crawly noises that take us into the realm of the vile and the lewd. A steady beat emerges from the darkness. Slithering Physical Graffiti-era Jimmy Page slide guitar intertwines with dramatic synth string passages that grow in intensity to a dense roar to push the song over the edge.
Tunes like 'Crapola' and 'Guitar Pick Chew' are like rays of sunshine through a thin black veil. The otherwise warm and luminescent songs are intercut with stray devil's notes and languishing outros in a way similar to how The Cure blend the mirthful with the macabre to create an emotionally complex sound. 'Glorious Racket' is a tender reflective piece with marimba accenting various notes of the fingerpicked guitar's earnest cycling.
'Love + Algebra' once again minimizes the role of vocals in favour of glimmering and buzzing electronics amid sparse lost-in-the-desert guitars. Organs and guitars squish in and out as if being reanimated by some alien force and then sucked away. 'Braggadocio' is a late evening samba drenched in an ethereal reverb. Sordid saxophone tells a lustful tale. Trello's voice hits its sweet spot as the crooning narrator. Both these tracks are album standouts.
Punk Cathedral is an ever-evolving piece that truly transcends styles and transports the listener to other realms. Put your headphones on and take a trip.
