Dope Body - Kunk
- Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
So prolific were Dope Body at the time of recording their Lifer album (Drag City, 2014) that Kunk ended up in the can, minus a few finishing touches, at the same time. One way to minimise future effort at least.
Ten new songs laid down on tape by way of relaxing between the rigors of proper recording. Hence the overall looseness of Kunk, highlighted particularly well in the laidback ‘Down’ with its rumbling, groovy bass part trundling along beneath the thoughtful and free-floating guitar lines.
That everything contained here started life as a jam remains very evident throughout due to the distinct lack of vocal parts in many of the songs and the open-ended felling of the bulk of the material – songs begin with little if any build-up and finish on the whole pretty abruptly, signifying that they’ve served their purpose in working out tensions or a specific idea. That the results also managed to end up as 99% fully fledged tracks is pretty good luck.
‘Void’ is probably the most punishing song on the album, six minutes of unrelenting hollering and pounding of instruments to close the album out. A lot of tension needed spun off that day it seems. No doubt some of those previously mentioned finishing touches were to do with the running order of Kunk and the thought put in to this being the final track pays off well as you find yourself led up to it and then flung off the edge as it stops dead.
Having managed to give themselves a free pass in respect of the writing and recording of Kunk, the sounds contained within it promise that the next album Dope Body fully apply themselves to should be one helluva listening experience.
