Colonel Knowledge
Reconnaissance
© 2001 Revolg Records (619981068123)
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Smart indie pop.
tracks
- 1 You Can Tell
- 2 Thinking
- 3 Lingerie
- 4 Ophelia
- 5 The Mother Song
- 6 Ticket-of-Leave Man
- 7 Sex is Boring Anyway
- 8 Anger
- 9 The Shower Song
- 10 Coco
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From falsetto ballads that will make Coldplay's blood run cold to fast groove-pop that will singe Lenny Kravitz's sideburns, Colonel Knowledge's debut album "Reconnaissance" showcases thoughtful songwriting and live musical performances.
"We mic'ed up our rehearsal room and recorded all the instruments live without click tracks," says drummer Scowl. "We made very few punches; we even kept a lot of the improvised solos from original takes."
The vocals were recorded separately, says guitarist Capital., but the same philosophy applied. "We just sang straight through each song until we felt the performance was inspired. Edits were the exception and we didn't do any pitch correction or heavy processing."
Still, the performances and production are incredibly polished, and Reconnaissance has been getting great reviews from fans and critics online and in print.
Colonel Knowledge is made up of an all-star cast of Bay Area musicians who are veterans of MC Shing02's Terracotta Troupe and local hip-hop institution The Slaptones as well as West African drumming ensembles and Brazilian jazz groups. This broad palette of experience accounts for the originality and sophistication of their indie pop sound.
Capital (guitar) and Lizard (bass) have released several recordings with Shing02 for Japanese indie label Mary Joy Recordings, selling over 40,000 units internationally through Nippon Crown in Japan and T.R.C. distributors in San Francisco. They also performed an acclaimed 50-minute set at the Fuji Rock Festival 2000 and are featured on the compilations "Catacombs" and "Kyogen" for Speedstar International distributed by Victor Entertainment, Inc.
Colonel Knowledge's recent U.S. tour was a huge success, including packed shows at New York's Lion's Den, Oregon State and Ohio State Universities, and Portland's PGE Park where they played to an enthusiastic crowd of 6,700 baseball fans.
reviews
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Pretty damn interesting to listen to
author: Michael Allison, Theglobalmuse.comThrowing these guys into a specific genre label is almost impossible. The musicianship and song structure of Colonel Knowledge is pretty much beyond description. The music reminds me of a Steely Dan/Jackson Browne type thing, but with a modern experimental pop/rock quality. No matter what you call it, it's pretty damn interesting to listen to. Most of the songs are laid back and somewhat mellow. The vibe is upbeat and positive. The lyrics are great, because they are very intelligent and well thought out. This is definitely an album for those who like that intellectual restfulness in their music. There's just something so real with the music on this CD. People shouldn't have too hard a time relating to what is being said here. That's always the mark of a great band. Colonel Knowledge is certainly one of those bands that I have a lot of respect for in that department.
Delicate artistry with intensity
author: Wes Carlton - Music EnthusiastThis is an excellent CD and a very refreshing listen. These guys harmonize like angels, play the sh*t out of their instruments, and their songs are interesting and original without any pretense. Very thoughtful and yet very visceral, like Randy Newman or Woody Allen. Their ballads are powerfully sincere and their faster, tongue-in-cheek stuff is really funny and clever. At all speeds their grooves are solid, soulful and deep. I particularly like "The Mother Song." It's so original, but so simple; I don't know why no one has thought to write a song like it before.
pop for the mind
author: FotzepoliticWhile I don't normally like this kind of pop, seeing a couple of their energetic shows and humorous stage manner made me buy this CD. It's much more chilled-out than their live performances, but catchy nonetheless. Anger is a childishly appealing message-tune with cheesy synths and guitar solos -- imagine Schoolhouse Rock meets cock rock. The Mother Song features a nice Jeff Buckley-esque swooping falsetto. You Can Tell, a sad tale about infidelity and suicide, is good, but Coco is intolerable and Lingerie, despite the cutesy country and metal guitar which work well with the story, falls flat with the vocals and tune. Sex is Boring Anyway is the standout track, with an upbeat melody and layered chorus. While I prefer their live music, softcore pop fans will definitely enjoy this album's careful melodies and lyrics which range from romantic to silly to downright obscure.
california boys with feelings
author: Elissa Bradley, Superfluous.com Music ReviewI bought "Reconnaissance" after seeing Berkeley-based Colonel Knowledge play New York's Lion's Den. At the show I enjoyed their vocally sweet, lyrically honest, and musically fun sound. Now that I've got the CD, I'm developing a bit of a problem - I can't take it out of my car's stereo. I've tried luring the stubborn stereo with old faves, but I can't help but listen to the beautiful vocals on "Shower Song", "Coco", and "Thinking" over and over. My ears are addicted to the clever lyrics of "Sex is Boring Anyway", which cleverly juxtapose the ridiculousness of some of California's recent political propositions and the proposition that sex is boring. "You Can Tell" might be the disc's strongest track, combining bold lyrics with powerful vocals and consistently solid music. Initially, you'll notice some new-band awkwardness, odd musical transitions, and charmingly self-conscious lyrics, but it all becomes more and more appealing the more you listen. “Reconnaissance” is definitely worth your ten bucks, even though it night make your other CDs feel neglected. -Elissa Bradley, superfluous.com Music Review
comforting as '70s AM radio
author: D. L. Conoverwith all of the rap(e)-metal bullshite clogging the air, it's great to hear an album this pretty. some of it verges on wilco's brand of alt-country, like "ophelia," and others have a more propulsive boogie to them, like "anger." but all of them have super-solid melodies, and they're all very economically arranged -- you get the feeling that there's nothing here that doesn't need to be here. my personal favorite is the clavinet-and-falsetto bubbler, "sex is boring anyway." the lyrics bounce between "comfort for the involuntarily celibate" in the chorus and weird political discussion in the verses -- something about splitting California into two states. it's weird, but it works.