Kingfield

Letters Post Mortem

[2.5/5] Throughout history, band members have gravitated to their natural spot in the line-up: The singer and guitarists are the show-offs, the bassist is the stiff one (or the girl), and the drummer is the shirtless slut. And when one attempts to disrupt nature, it doesn’t always go so well. Case in point: Kingfield, the band conceived and fronted by Brett Johnson, the live bass player for hip-hop group Atmosphere. The raw sentiments of the record-covering Johnson’s battle with cancer-are truly touching and well-written, and the music rocks in a Foo Fighters/Jawbox kind of way. However, Johnson’s vocals are struggling with or drowning in the production the entire time-so much so, it distracts from all of the good here. Which is a bummer, because Johnson has plenty to say. (BLUE WORM) JR Griffin