Music With Michele – “Kraken”
Music With Michele – “Kraken” – Single Review
In Music With Michele, you have a genuine case of ‘if you like one, you’ll like’em all.’
Obviously, if that’s the case, it’s a good thing. Heck, it’d be a great thing! It’s pretty rare that we’d feel that way about some of even our favorite artists and bands out there, you know? That’s what happens when you establish identity in what you create…a signature sound…that kind of thing – it’s the effect of making music that you couldn’t possibly mistake for anyone else’s. You can actually get away with some pretty weird stuff if you remain consistently weird, you know? Think of bands like Primus or stuff like George Clinton creates & whatnot…sure you might run into the occasional debate on whether or not the entire catalog really hits the mark or doesn’t, but the fan base for either are among the most loyal you’ll ever discover, because those listeners know precisely what they’re gonna get, time after time after time.
Of course, in the event that something doesn’t quite resonate or connect with listeners out there, that same wild degree of identity can become your worst enemy. Like how for many that didn’t grow up in the Grunge era for example…the moment they hear Kurt begin to scream in a Nirvana song, it sounds like nails on a chalkboard to people that weren’t there at the time. Or how like, hearing Kristin Hersh sing can be an instant turn-off for listeners that can’t understand the level of badassery she possesses.
Essentially what I’m saying is that Music With Michele is on completely solid ground with those that ‘get’ her, and those that don’t are quite likely doomed to never get it, because the similarities in the material always exist. In the case of “Kraken,” you’ll notice a few things change from what you might have heard in the past, but the core of the recipe is absolutely still the same. Michele’s got her raspy poetry goin’ on, and her cohort Davey Munch is busy noodling away like a frenetic madman. I mean, to those out there that haven’t heard Music With Michele before, you might even wonder if these two were even aware the other was there while they were busy doing what they do, you feel me? It’s not like things line up in the typical way that listeners have long been accustomed to. It’s like you walked in on Michele singing out loud in the middle of the living room, and can hear Davey testing out his speed and agility from the room across the hall. And voila, just like that, you’ve got a song – this is Music With Michele.
Make no mistake though, this dude Davey can shred. He’ll give you a minute or so before he really starts to let the “Kraken” loose…I think it’s not until around the 1:15 mark that you get your first glimpse of the antsy way he makes music…like he’s doing his level best to remain calm & mellow while Michele does her artsy thing on the microphone, knowing that his time will come, but you can like…FEEL his leg bouncing & lack of patience growing. Davey being mellow feels about as convincing as a two litre of Coke with an entire pack of Mentos thrown into it…you know he can’t stay bottled up forever. He handles the music part of Music With Michele, taking on the role of being the official Music Director and playing the acoustic guitar, electric bass, and of course, the glockenspiel, naturally. “Kraken” is quite pretty as it begins…practically alluring for about thirty seconds, before it contorts into the more bizarre combination of music & vocals you’d expect to hear from Music With Michele if you’ve been a fan to this point. I like a lot of what Michele is doing with the backing vocals on this track and felt like her ideas demonstrated there brought a lot of the uniqueness to “Kraken” that made it slightly different than the rest of the catalog. As for the lead…I mean…she’s always gonna do what she does y’all…I respect it. I have no illusions about her voice having a very niche appeal to potential listeners out there, but what always makes her performances enjoyable to me, is that she really seems to embrace that fact. In the case of “Kraken,” it’s like she’s decided to almost get more in people’s face with her oddly unique style than she ever has before…BIG drawn-out notes…really belting things out in a way that practically dares the squares to listen. It’s the singing equivalent of the whole ‘dance like no one’s watching’ theory.
While the reality is, someone is ALWAYS watching, and folks tend to be judgmental assholes (especially us critics!) – obviously we’ve kinda gotta roll with Michele making a choice to do things the way she wants to do them, as opposed to catering to the mainstream or finding a compromise that might meet at least a few listeners in the space between. I’ve made my comments in the past reviews of Music With Michele…I’ve given my advice whether solicited or not…and she’s continually made the choice to go her own way. Again, I respect that. It’s all about the goals, and only she & Davey truly know what those are. If she’s looking to lure in the masses…chances are something’s gotta be tweaked a little bit. If she’s looking to create music for herself and the art-crowd to enjoy…chances are she’s on solid ground. Much like how I know what is going to come my way when I open up a new Music With Michele track on this side of the speakers, ultimately, I can’t tell her anything she hasn’t already heard from me either. She knows what I’m gonna say, because we’re both caught in a loop of wash, rinse, repeat under different titles. Nothing wrong with that – I’m happy to listen, and I’m happy to report on what I hear, as always – but there’s precious little that I could say beyond surface level observations that would make an impact on what she’s gonna do or how she’s gonna do it. That’s what artists are like…and I respect that.
Does a song called “Kraken” have to be 100% about a “Kraken” and its illustrious mythology? Good lord I hope not, because she’d be in trouble if that was the case. I don’t get the sense that Michele is the kind of person to ever think in a linear way under any circumstance…and that even the shortest of distances she might travel between point-A to point-B for her personality, would zig and zag in every which way like her journey was being directed and orchestrated by Davey freakin’ Munch. To be fair to her, most music isn’t really about only ONE thing – it’s just exceptionally true when it comes to the way she writers her lyrics. So while there are arguably more than a few tie-ins between what she’ll sing about and what a “Kraken” is…I mean…it’d be insane to expect those tie-ins to be the logical kind, you feel me? “Cyclone carousel/Cotton candy/Surf & swell” – you see what we’re talkin’ about here folks? This ain’t the “Kraken” that’s gonna eat your boat so much as it’s the kind that’ll probably want to sit & read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test with you to discuss the philosophical merits of the Merry Pranksters.
I felt like “Kraken” really found its main gears around the two-minute mark…I really liked the time they dedicated to Michele’s ‘vocal chorale harmony,’ and the instrumentation you’ll find in the harmonics & wild moves Davey makes on the bass afterwards will pretty much blow the mind of even the most skillful musicians. Lots of cool stuff to be found in the lyricism, even if it’s got just about as much to do with a “Kraken” as your cousin from Oklahoma does…the poetry is still as quirky and as fun as the main star of the show is, and I’d reckon that’ll always be the main reason that we’re tuning into Music With Michele. I maintain if you like one of their tunes, you’ll like’em all…and that still remains to be the case.
Find out more about Music With Michele from this official multi-link right here: https://linktr.ee/Musicwithmichele
Fun fact – did you know some of the most capable minds and amazing musicians you’ve ever known STILL can’t find the best way to submit their music to us? You’d think it’d be easy, given that it’s right there on the main page of our site, yet the battle still continues! Click here to be the next up on our pages – it’s really that simple!
