Music:
Member Since: 7/13/2005
Band Website: blackkites.org
Band Members: Alan Petherick - guitar.vocals
Evelyn Reyes - keys.vocals
Nicki Nevlin - bass
Marcel Feldmar - drums
Influences: 52hz whale, radical cat behavior, radio shivers, astral projection, and karel zeman.
Sounds Like:
from THE LA TIMES : Reyes’ willowy vocals, paired at times with Petherick’s and layered onto rhythms laid down by Nevlin and drummer Marcel Feldmar, gives the foursome’s "Paper Heart" EP a cinematic sheen, and it’s meditative without being mopey.
from FUTURESOUNDS :Bronson turned me onto BLACK KITES and all their luscious and gazin’ glory. The guy/girl combo of Evelyn Reyes and Alan Petherick make for that VU/NICO thing, that DEAN & BRITTA vibe, something dreamy and sonic.
from 3HIVE : Black Kites is an LA band that’s got a little bit of everything — male and female vocals, droning guitar, heavy drums, mellow synth — and it’s all dreamy & dramatic. Kind of old school, sort of new wave, it’s like I’m buying my first pair of Dr. Martens all over again.
from THE BIG TAKEOVER : Black Kites deliver a solid EP with nicely sung male and female vocals, and a psych shoegaze sound that leave me wanting more.
from CLASSIC GEEK THEATER : They pretty much stole my heart...Crystal keys, dynamic guitars, progressing drum beats, and dreamy-lush vocals..
from METROMIX LA :Dreamy melodies, chiming guitars, and moody melancholy musings—the classic shoegaze aesthetic is alive and well in L.A. The Mezzanine Owls, Film School, Black Kites and Eskimohunter all play like the 4AD label’s dream team 2.0. We’re not afraid to admit how much we love it.
from THE PLASTIC ASHTRAY : US based band the Black Kites are a four piece who take inspiration from a range of bands like Jesus & Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, Stereo Lab & Neu! Their three track ep ‘All Wrong’ has all the hallmarks to make this band a real indie rock sensation. Whether it’s the dreamlike guitar swirls, the twinkling keyboards or the velvets style cool of the vocals, it’s all here.
from AMATEUR CHEMIST : 8/13: Black Kites started the evening with a dreamy keyboard shoegaze collage of sounds. They seem to be second cousins of Mazzy Star, Sea Ray, and Longwave. Evelyn Reyes (Keyboards/Vocals) was working the keys of her Nord Electro and Nord Lead 2x as she provided breathy vocals that meshed nicely with Alan Petherick (Guitars/Vocals) husky vocal delivery.
from SUBCULTURE MAGAZINE : All the tracks have en epic, almost theatrical air to them.
from MILK MILK LEMONADE : Somewhere between the first whisper of All Wrong and the final echoed goodbye of the track Sadie, we found ourselves falling for a lovely dialogue of male and female vocals accented by a measured approach to the early 90s sound we adore. ...tracks that might bring to mind classic post-shoegazers Ride as well as more recent indie rock bands such as Low.
from DARK CULTURE : The Best Cover of “Lucretia, My Reflection†You’ll Hear All Day. Black Kites are a local Los Angeles indie band with a penchant for the darkside. Their cover of The Sisters of Mercy “Lucretia, My Reflection†is nothing short of beautiful.
from FILTHY LITTLE ANGELS : Featuring three slices of swirling skin peeling sun bathed shoe gazed grandeur bled through with softly shimmering sheens of summer glazed psyche pop, Black Kites masterfully navigate the finite nuances of the once derided but of late reinvigorated scene often compared in passing to Slowdive.
from GET WEIRD TURN PRO : The too cool for school twin vocal play between Alan Petherick and Evelyn Reyes offers a nice contrast of styles that’s carried through to the music where contemplative, beautiful melodies are combined with non-nonsense, driving rhythms.
from INDIE-MP3 (UK) : ’What To Do In Case Of Emergency’ has a great sound. I can hear echoes of Galaxie 500/Velvet Underground shining through, guitars shimmer, but all of this is happily wrapped up in a tune that most bands would give their right arm for.
from DISCOBLOG : (badly translated from French via BabelFish) This mixture of pop and English rock’n’roll sounds like a good memory. Recalls of Mazzy Star version rock’n’roll, an atmospheric voice that one had forgotten for a long time, of the rock’n’roll agreements without being assomants... In short, an alchemy which one did not hope for any more since one small moment in the planet rock’n’roll. A fast listening of Glass Parade should persuade you that Black Kites is worth really the turning
from HOTSTOF :
The Black Kites make nice guitar rock and they are influenced by Jesus & Mary Chain, Stereolab and The Cure, to name just a few.
from DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY : Black Kites are comparatively new on the scene, starting out in 2005 in L.A., and they sound like Stoned And Dethroned-era Jesus And Mary Chain hanging out with Mazzy Star. They forgo the narcotic lulls of those bands in favor of a more brisk pace, yet still hold on to a slight alt-country twang to their tunes.
from THE DEVIL HAS THE BEST TUNA : ’All Wrong’ could melt the hardest heart, this is music that could make a trappist monk renounce his vow of silence and sing for joy. Black Kites are ready to fly!
from
FREE ALBUMS GALORE : The Black Kites have the advantage of two good vocalists in Evelyn Reyes and Alan Petherick. Tasty background and solos are provided by the instrumentation of guitar, piano, electric bass, and drums. Those who are looking for a new worthwhile band will be quite pleased with this excellent debut EP.
from
POP TARTS SUCK TOASTED : Black Kites describe their sound as shoegaze and that’s pretty much dead on. Listening to the four songs on their Myspace page I could easily picture myself bobbing my head up and down with my arms folded to their music. Then again I could also picture moving around a bit thanks to the steady rhythms that provide the tempo for their version of sad bastard music.
Record Label: Filthy Little Angels
Type of Label: None
