Kid Gulliver’s latest album Kismet finds these feisty Boston pop-rockers offering up 11 tracks that scream out pop-rock from different decades of that music sub-genre. Singer Simone Berk reminds of those zany girl group singers in the early 1960s. While she and the band offer a punchier pop-rock sound, the listener can still hear influences from yesteryear.
Kismet’s opening track is a speedy arrangement of The Bee Gees’ late 1960s acoustic pop ballad “I Started A Joke.” Kid Gulliver give it a busy, rockin’ groove, a sprinting lead guitar line, and a pretty lead vocal buttressed by warm, three dimensional harmonies. It’s impossible not to like this twisty rendition as the lead and rhythm guitars thicken into an alluring, racing sound.
“Stupid Little Girl,” about a young woman who falls in love with an incarcerated serial killer, is a hoot. Vocalist Simone Berk carries us through this tongue in cheek melodrama with a shine in her girlish timbre. Former Kid Gulliver drummer Sandy Summer keeps the listener’s toe tapping with her racing skin smacks while supporting simple but tuneful guitar lines.
“Lila Dreams” gets its mojo from Berk’s pushy, sultry lead vocal, a persistent force that Berk never fully unleashes, keeping her power under wraps. Tightly wrapped lead guitar from Kid Gulliver’s David Armillotti, too, keeps things sharp and in motion.
“Gimme Some Go” is flavored by Armillotti’s 1960s electric piano, a sound from an era when people would dance to the poppy beat of this kind of number. Brian Thomas’s trombone flavors it with bulbous pop injections. The rhythm section and flinty guitar power chords wrap it in extra special tunefulness.
“Susie Survived Chemotherapy” takes black humor to a whole new level. Turning such a dire subject into a pop ditty is a stroke of lyrical genius. Images of a bald girl being mocked sung to a joyful lead guitar line keeps us hopeful things will work out for Suzie.
As echoy lead guitar rings out with a 1960s jubilation, “Boy In A Bubble” lets Berk showcase what she can do with self-restraint as well as her sweet harmonies. By this point in the album it is clear that Berk and her producer, Brian Charles, are onto something much more clever than a reinvention of late 1960s/early 1970s pop rock. The vocals, grooves, and guitars on this and the other songs are perfectly crafted original songs.
The cutesy “Beauty School Dropout” reminds of a movie scene from the late 1970s with its title alone. Thematically fleshed out here, it becomes more visual, a youthful beauty who couldn’t measure up in the beauty industry. Berk’s measured vocal emissions fit perfectly with the tight, oldies format of this song. Keeping everything so tight makes the chorus and the lead guitar’s run wider and prettier in contrast.
Swift drum fills make “I Wanna Be A Pop Star” a celebratory number. Rockin’ coolly, guitars and bass bounce along to those fills, bumpy fun throughout the tune. Berk then makes her case for stardom with a speedy vocal flow that contrasts brilliantly with the joyous fun coming from the musicians.
“Carousel” weaves a thick mix of low end dollops, poppy drums, and a moody guitar phrase. Turning these elements into a smooth, flowing sound gives Berk the perfect platform for her girlish timbre to glide over. This one blossoms as the lead guitar phrase becomes wider and feels loaded with edgy nuggets of notes.
One of Kid Gulliver’s more popular songs, “Forget About Him” floats along with a chorus of girl singers augmenting Berk’s nostalgic girl group vocal. Here, the tight framework and song in motion flow gets a special touch. David Armilotti’s lead guitar plays deliciously sweet single notes that convey the sunshine feeling of moving on to a better partner.
Close out track “You’ll Never Know” places a harrowing emotion inside of its pop-rock underpinnings. Berk’s vocal assertions carry a nervous edge while Armilotti’s lead guitar screams with frightful urgency. The lyrical frustration plays out beautifully because this band knows how to combine their pop-rock format with tense themes.
Kid Gulliver proves on its Kismet album that there is more than one way to enjoy their music. Fans can put on their mini skirts and letter sweaters or jeans and leather jackets and move their feet to the energetic pop rock motions. Or, when feeling more serious, one can follow the darker themes, black comedy, or urgent relationship issues. It’s no wonder Kid Gulliver receives press and sells their music around the globe. Thankfully, guru producer Brian Charles kept the Kid Gulliver sound clearly defined at his Boston-based Zippah Studios.
