KINETIC IDEALS
This Face EP
Kinetic Ideals are a Canadian post-punk, experimental rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. They formed in 1980 when the three-piece of JC Chambers (guitar etc.), Alan Murrell (bass etc.) and Jonathon Davies (drums) meet Mikil Rullman (vocals etc.) at a party and invite him to play. The band concentrates on writing original material and are soon known for their energetic, distinctive songs and high-octane live shows. In 1980 they release the 7" single "Life in Shadow" b/w "Maze of Ways" on Burlington's pocket label Mannequin Records. Reviewers of the single note touchstones such as Iggy Pop and Joy Division.
In 1981 the 5 song EP "Reason" is released on Mannequin with an angular, bleeding edge cover design by Brett Wickens of Saville and Associates. "Animalistic", a cathartic howl of a song and perennial live favorite, gets regular play on the local progressive radio stations and in Toronto's alternative clubs. "Reason" gets enthusiastic reviews in the press and when the band opens for The Teardrop Explodes the Globe and Mail writes "that it must have been embarrassing to be out-performed by a little known local band, Kinetic Ideals...". Mannequin presses the "Angular Sky" b/w "Fade Away" 12" single in 1982 but fails to find the fire to promote it and the single remains the most obscure recording from the band. Convinced their sound may find more acceptance in Britain the band head to London. After a gig-pirated show at the infamous 101 Club drummer Jonathon Davies is struck by a cab. When they return to Canada Davies quits Kinetic Ideals. Then Chambers, Murrell and Rullman decide to continue as a trio, purchase a drum machine and write all new material. In 1983, after the release of their last known output (the splendid "A Personal View" EP), Kinetic Ideals recruited a new drummer, Patrick Duffy, firing their Oberheim DMX drum machine shortly after. With flesh and blood behind the kit again, new songs were written and three of them were recorded at Toronto's Wellesley Studios in the spring of 1984. The "This Face" session contains some of their strongest material yet but back then no record company stepped up to provide the band a home and all the songs remained unreleased.
Almost 30 years later, Dead Wax Records is proud to announce the release of the "This Face" EP featuring the three session tracks, plus an additional song recorded at Toronto's Manta Sound studios later in the winter of 1985. They have been digitized from the original master tapes by Peter J. Moore of Cowboy Junkies' "The Trinity Session" fame, carefully remastered by Nicolás Zúñiga of Dead Wax Records and sound just great with all their original analogue glory. As mentioned, Patrick Duffy plays the drums here but has also designed the whole artwork for the release, which is presented in gorgeous clear vinyl, housed in a heavy matt finish sleeve with printed inner sleeve. A short run of 420 copies for worldwide distribution to the delight of collectors.
- 01. This Face
- 02. I Am Watching
- 03. Without Nets
- 04. Snakebite Smile
- 05. Give And Take