Well, Hello...

I'm Duncan, the last of the swarm of new recruits that Lady Byrd has added to the WNR massive. I'm British, so I'll try and keep the spirit of Paul the Anglophile alive, but I'm currently studying the final year of my University course in Oklahoma. Musically, I like guitars that sound like lasers, crescendos that sound like the end of the world, and the Village People. If you have any other searching questions about me, feel free to leave a comment. Let's get onto the music.


Kunek are a bunch of lads and a lady from Stillwater, Oklahoma. They surprised me when I first heard them, I haven't heard music as deep, swirling and epic as this since 2001. Don't get me wrong, I like the Strokes, and what they've done for indie, a lot, but there's still a large place in my heart for music that isn't necessarily about a stripped-down garage sound. There hasn't been enough of it lately. The production on Kunek's debut album, Flight of the Flynns, is powerful - it gives the album a feel similar to that of obvious-influence-points Radiohead, or perhaps Coldplay or Elbow. This is music for staring out the windows of long car and train journeys, or plane flights.

We Have Become
Coma

The two songs I've posted are a couple of the immediate standouts from the album. We Have Become features one of the most startling opening lyrics on an album in some time, and Coma is almost hypnotic with singer Jesse Tabish's tired vocals weaving in and out of the rhythm. They don't appear to be touring, currently, but I'll try and keep an eye out and mention it when they do. You can see details for the few shows they're playing around Oklahoma and Texas on their MySpace page. You can buy their album from Amazon here.

- Duncan