Klak Tik - Must We Find a Winner

by Paul Waller

published: 10 / 6 / 2010

Label: Safety First Records
Format: CD

Overlong and self-indulgent debut album from experimental act Klak Tik, the project of Soren Bonke, who was previously in 6 Day Riot

Review

Ex-6 Day Riot member and founder Soren Bonke has recorded an overlong album here. At just under an hour and with some songs hitting the seven minute mark there is simply not enough spark in these tracks to satisfy my attention span and I am a generous repeat listener. ‘I Am Your Memory’ ambles along like a stumbling Elbow. When it finally finishes you forget that you were even listening to the song in the first place. The same goes for ‘Measuring Light’ which has the potential to electrify with it’s vocal harmonies ala Fleet Foxes but simply falls flat, as the drums kick in it’s hard to contemplate any reason for listening any further. Yet amongst all this mediocrity lies the odd splash of colour; ‘Knuckles, Depressed’ kicks up it’s heels and displays a fiery, off kilter gift of ramshackle instrumentation, I can hear some of the finer moments of Tom Waits’ ‘Swordfishtrombones’ within its shorter running time. Also the guitar technique displayed, especially on ‘Kneel To Avoid Beheading’ is extravagant and lush. The banjo that tinkles away in the background is a further touch of class which comes as a bit of a shock because when you hear it you know that Bonke is capable of so much more. Ultimately another 4 track EP on similar lines to last years ‘Biased’ would have gone down a lot easier. I think the ultimate insult to any musician is to call their music boring and although I wouldn’t go that far in this instance, Klak Tik’s debut is perilously close to flat lining here. It’s not something I will listen to again and i8f I were you I would approach this with caution.

Track Listing:-

1 The 2nd Wave Is Sometimes Bigger
2 Carpet Swept
3 With Ernest & George
4 I Am Your Memory
5 Tomme Domme
6 Kneel to Avoid Beheading
7 Knuckles, Depressed
8 Driverless Train to Expo
9 Measuring Light
10 Catholic Suicide
11 Sweeping Statements
12 Business As Usual
13 The Summer Last