Kimono Kult – Hiding in the Light

Though there's an impressive cast of musicians in Kimono Kult (ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Les Butcherettes / Bosnian Rainbows frontwoman Teri Gender Bender all form part of the lineup), the project's music is decidedly abstract. Teri's Spanish-sung vocals are an understated, almost ghostly presence, whereas Frusciante's cold, distant electronic beats strive for the same unhinged vibe set on his latest album, the bizarre, wildly experimental PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone.

 

The only real hook-driven piece on this 12-minute EP is La Canción de Alejandra, an alluring piece of avant-pop songwriting. The rest of the material culls its inspiration from afro-beat and dub with mixed results; the melodies on Todo Menos el Dolor melodies are discordant and muddled, whereas Las Esposas buries layers of half-hearted vocals under an impenetrable tapestry of blips and bloops. It all amounts to a brief, forgettable exercise in experimentation best reserved as a curiosity piece for those interested in the people involved.