No longer sure how and when the extraordinary music of Boston sextet Bent Knee came to my attention, but I’ve been meaning to write about it ever since they teased “Battle Creek”, the fourth marvelous track from upcoming sophomore album Shiny Eyed Babes. Compared to their self-titled debut album, the new material strikes me as less subdued to experiments, but as a result sounds more ‘epic’, even more ‘baroque’ and ‘progressive’. Throw in the word ‘pop’ and you’re closing in on their grand idiosyncratic sound. There is always something exciting about a band that isn’t afraid to toy with arrangement and song structures, constantly pushing the listener further down the rabbit hole with angular melodies and a laboratory mindset. “Battle Creek” might be the best of the bunch; starting slowly with gripping guitar licks and vocalist Courtney Swain’s whispering drones, the track eventually explodes into a pop-symphony of Florence Welch-worthy magnitude. Also, make sure you don’t miss the equally vital “Being Human” embedded below. Heck makes sure you don’t miss any of it; Shiny Eyed Babes is finally released November 11.
