Kinison - Mortgage Is Bank

by Mark Rowland

published: 26 / 3 / 2004

Label: Fearless
Format: CD

Eclectic five song debut EP from Illinois quartet, who seem already destined to "make an impact on the modern punk underground when they release a full length album"

Review

The Kinison are a lucky band. Not many get an already established and respected modern punk icon to produce their first EP, but that's exactly what they got:when Amen's Casey Chaos got hold of a Kinison tape he was so impressed that he produced 'Mortgage is Bank' as well as plugging them in the press whenever he got the chance. The band, Chris Lewis (vocals), Bub Knight (guitar), Aaron Fuller (guitar), Mike Villayicencio (bass) and Mike Rivera (drums), formed in Oblong, Illinois, and recorded the five tracks of 'Mortgage is Bank' over 2001 and 2002. It sounds a bit like a more lo-fi, slightly stoner rock-y version of the kind of stuff the Blood Brothers do, with more straight ahead post-punk guitar playing. Some of the riffs smell faintly of At the Drive-in, like opener 'Hey Hey Hey', and 'New Way to Dance'. The slower 'The Way I Used to Be' has a slight stoner rock feel to it, though with agitated punk vocals. 'Sorry I'm a Pushover' is manic, brittle post punk, similar to the stuff that Italy's Candies are doing right now. Last track 'The Kinison's Area 53' is another stoner rock influenced track, coming across a bit like a more laid back version of the sort of stuff that Amen do. The Kinison are definitely worth getting into if you're a fan of the more rockin' side of post-punk, and should really make an impact on the modern punk underground when they release a full length album.