Enigmatic genre-mashing Aussie Kirin J Callinan emerged in 2010 with his 'She' EP but we've been playing catch up - only affording Callinan his debut UK show yesterday. Callinan also has the honour of being the first artist to benefit from a deal between the sort-of-Grizzly Bear-backed Terrible Records and XL Recordings. Listen to a selection of tracks, both from his upcoming album 'Embracism' and otherwise, below.
We're always told not to judge a book by its cover but sometimes it's hard not to - Kirin J Callinan seems frankly quite ridiculous. His image largely seems to involve parading around in y-fronts. Or in a dress. Affectation or otherwise, his music echoes some of the overwhelming chutzpah reflected in his fashion choices.
Throwing together genres such as post-punk, psychedelia, and industrial, Callinan's musical style is terrifically unpredictable. Each track is an adventure - often proving to be their own reward, although occasionally falling into difficulty. The aggressive title track of new album 'Embracism' found itself more in the latter category but previous tracks like the haunting instrumental of 'COLAB' suggest good things lie ahead.
New single 'Love Delay' is perhaps Callinan's most engaging effort thus far - a tale of two halves, bursting into a garage rock anthem after the midway point. The track will appear on 'Embracism', which is likely to be one of the more interesting records of the year, coming out in around a month's time. Catch his live act in London tonight, supporting the excellent PVT.
Find more info at facebook.com/kirinjcallinan.
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