Kilo Kish - mothe

Kilo Kish
mothe
2018
Spotify

Kilo Kish is one of those artists who refuse to be pigeonholed. When she began her music career in 2012 it was as a placeholder in between graduating art school and finding a real job. Since then however she has managed to collaborate with the likes of Vince Staples, The Gorillaz and The Internet on their projects and tours. Her voice is often a welcome one, but not one that stands out from the outset. Her voice operates as a ligth touch as the swelling bass and crackling synths try to take over. On "Like Honey" her voice becomes this surgical weapon as the electronics bump ferociously in the background. The most similar thing I can think of is Grimes, that idea that this power is coming from someone so small gives it all the more gravity. Kish is different however in that she never ejects sensuality for the sake of pure power. Her songs still feel shapely and approachable, not like they are trying their best to dare you to hate them. Kilo Kish doesn't push things that far, but she's on that kind of path with this art pop. There is a sense of being above music throughout the album which leads her to some odd choices, like the Harpsichord on "Alive". There are other moments that feel forced.

This album was created as a companion to a video game interface that Kish created, which somewhat gives it more of a place in the world. The meandering moments make more sense and the disconnected singing feels like ti is at least in line with the concept. However it's the concept that fails this album. She tries to hard to shove everything through this prism and it doesn't allow the more magical moments to shine. "Elegance" is this totally opulent tracks with this swelling synth pounding away. It feels like it is dripping in emotion and sensuality, but the structure of the song leaves you feeling unsatisfied. The same can be said for "Prayer" that seems to just drone on forever and ever. There are flashes of brillance on this album, but they are only that. The whole thing feels jumbled and confused for an album, but Hey maybe it works perfectly as a video game interface.

6.0 out of 10