“A.M.” takes away the punk and brings on the funk. It’s short, to the point, with a scatting do-do-do-oh-oh chorus that’s catchy and cool without being commercial. There’s a bit of Lenny Kravitiz’s swagger in Reifler’s vocal and the choppy, cutting guitar riffs are an added plus. Reifler hasn’t forsaken his demons for happiness though: “If I got the will to live, I got the will to die”, he sings against the diddy boppin’ beat.

“Smile” puts the music back on a more challenging level with more unpredictable drumming and Kravitz-like singing, but Reifler handles his guitar like a wild mustang and now the bass is noticeable in the mix. This is sophisticated rock, especially the dirty Mick Ronson-like guitar solo. Although he’s no cookie cutter vocalist, “Smile” may leave you wondering what the heck Reifler’s singing about. The music shows a lot of promise, but “Smile” also underscores that Reifler’s voice and lyrics are best served in a quieter setting.

Despite its title, “Arrogance” is Reifler’s most subdued song yet. You can hear Jeff Buckley’s influence in Reifler’s vocal phrasing, but he has something the late Gen-x crooner had but didn’t exercise -- control. Unlike the first three tunes, “Arrogance” relies as much on Reifler’s vocal power as the music, and that’s huge plus. “Arrogance” also has lyrics that are dark, disturbing and thought provoking: "I haven’t communicated with another human being since the age of 14, when I could see something wasn’t right.”

“Dreams” owes more to Tim Buckley than his son Jeff, mirroring Buckley’s experimental, less accessible period. This has more of the multi-layered guitar attack found in “Every Town” but the drumming is more on target, which helps to convey Reifler’s anguish: ‘I used to be afraid of the darkness, but now I only fear the light”. It’s the type of bad acid trip that may improve with time, so give it a few listens.

There’s nothing graceful about “Graceful Exit” -- it’s a full-out sensory attack. The bass takes a predominant role in the mix, bubbling in and out of the off-kilter, dizzying arrangement. The line “And as death travels up my sleeve” gets repeated a lot. It’s an interesting metaphor, but sorry Kurt, there’s nothing up your sleeve with this one.

“Never Be Free” is one of the CD’s standout tracks with Reifler haunting your mind like a wailing ghost. There’s no forced showiness here, and Reifler uses the silence between the notes to his advantage. “Never Be Free” is mystical, frightening, and worth listening to again.

“The Horse’s Mouth” starts off calmly, then turns into a war. Reifler’s fondness for epileptic rhythms gets the better of him here. While the bass runs are attention-grabbing and Reifler creates spooky guitar soundscapes that rival Spirit’s Randy California, the smashing cymbals and reckless abandon arrangement run the song to ground. Better include a lyric sheet with this one because it suffers the same problem as Reifler’s other raw material – it’s too hard to hear his voice beneath all the strum and drang. As a result, he sounds like he’s rambling rather than singing. Too bad -- despite the muffled anguish, there’s something interesting here.

Sometimes titles really do reflect the atmosphere of a song. “More Sad Than Strange” is another standout track. It’s atmospheric, like “Never Be Free”, with wraithlike wails and hushed accompaniment. “More Sad Than Strange” is spiritual and spacey, a musical blend of Mahogany Rush and Jeff Buckley. It’s is a well produced piece that plays off of Reifler’s strengths, particularly the hurt in his psyche.

“Wake Up Dead” will probably slip a few people’s discs in the mosh pit. The drums go out as they came in (as in “Every Town”) powerful, thrashing and angry. This is schizophrenia in high gear. Take a singer, toss him in a washing machine and set it on high and this is what you’ll get. A lot of noise and you’ll still feel very dirty. Not a great song to exit on, but there are enough memorable tracks before this to excuse Reifler’s urge to go out with a shocking bang.

Reifler’s on to something when he emotes in a quieter mode. The chaotic kitchen-sink approach on the uptempo songs tends to send the music careening out of control, and the lack of cohesion buries his voice in the mix. There’s an unrelenting demon hanging over Reifler’s shoulder that can either inspire him to great heights (“Never Be Free” and “More Sad Than Strange”) or make him sound like a pissed of punk (“The Horses Mouth” and “Wake Up Dead”). You’ll be as much frightened for Kurt Reifler as you will for yourself when you listen to him. But I can guarantee you’ll listen to him again.

Kurt Reifler’s self-titled CD will be released by Red Glare Records on March 20.
For more information about Kurt Reifler, contact deanwalker1@gmail.com or visit his website at www.kurtreifler.com, or www.myspace.com/kurtreifler.

Posted February 3, 2007 Permalink