I Am Kloot - Gods and Monsters

If for no other reason, Gods and Monsters is significant because it’s one of the few releases by a British band in recent memory that cannot be compared in any way to Coldplay. Reviewers and listeners will have to work a little harder for their comparisons; this is just one of the many challenges I Am Kloot presents. Darker and more sonically dense than offerings by many of their counterparts, this album takes a few listens to fully appreciate. Once the layers are peeled away and examined, what you’re left with is an interesting and tasteful record that rewards you for your patience. Gods and Monsters is reminiscent of edgier British pop-rockers (think The Beta Band, Doves, even a bit of The Smiths) filtered through the simplicity of late 1960’s rock. The uncomplicated yet effective guitar riffs and retro rock beats provide the perfect context for John Bramwell’s brooding vocals. On tracks like “No Direction Home,” “Strange Without You” and the title cut, the music suggests the kind of foreboding awareness one feels in the middle of a well-written mystery novel. Bramwell makes you feel like something’s not quite right with the world but also makes you want to stick around for the ending. This is not to say everything on Gods and Monsters is doom and gloom. On folkier tunes like the all too brief “Astray” and album closer “I Believe," Bramwell and friends exhibit some faith that things will turn out alright in the end. The album’s standout track, “Avenue of Hope,” features a beautifully subtle piano part and evolves into a full-fledged jazz ballad while Bramwell searches to find out “just who I will become.” There are a couple of throwaway tracks here (“Sand and Glue,” and “Dead Men’s Cigarettes”), but otherwise the band does an excellent job of staying constant in their effort to create an album that seems to be less about what it is being said than about how it’s being said. Gods and Monsters is a great change-up from typical Brit-rock fare and a welcome addition to that country’s musical legacy. [www.iamkloot.com]