"Time 'n' Place - Kero Kero Bonito" Maturation is not the Bane of Creativity

 


    As an avid Kero Kero Bonito fan, I'll admit that Time 'n' Place wasn't my favourite project by them at first. Like many other KKB fans, I originally got into the band through Bonito Generation a project oozing with charm and nostalgia that beckoned for the days of yesteryear. I thought that Time 'n' Place was more inconsistent, and I had yet to truly appreciate both slower songs, and noisier palettes in my music. However, ever since I've grown up, I've began to appreciate KKB's sophomore project much more, appreciating the growth shown from their debut to their sophomore album just that much more. Growing up is scary, there's no question about it, but that doesn't mean you still can't have fun, and that certainly doesn't mean you can't be scared of what's to come, and that's what I think this album perfectly encapsulates. So without further ado, my track-by-track scores of Time 'n' Place by Kero Kero Bonito.

Time ‘n’ Place – Kero Kero Bonito

Outside – 83/100 This song has great texture, with hyperpop and the occasional shoegaze song mixed into my liked songs playlist I’m beginning to think I enjoy noisy songs.

Time Today – 85/100 Solid cute short track, there’s nothing wrong with it, but it would rank higher if more happened in the song.

Only Acting – 95/100 I love the chorus and the guitar on this song KKB are a very versatile group in terms of sound. I also enjoy the breakdown at the end of this song and the overall theme of this song.

Flyway – 88/100 Very cool guitar solo, a song that is good and straight to the point

Dump – 75 /100 Songs like these are why its difficult for me to decide between Time ‘n’ Place and Bonito Generation. In terms of Catchiness Bonito Generation definitely wins in terms of consistency, as Time ‘n’ Place has higher heights but a lot more mellow, slow tracks that don’t really do too much like this.

Make Believe – 90/100 I think the chorus of this song is really cute and as someone who often finds themselves caught up in the machinations of their own head I can relate to the themes of this song. I think overall KKB still sings about very simple things happening around them in life but they’re a bit more serious in this album, which works well with the noisier sound overall.

Dear Future Self – 90/100 Once again KKB shows off their charm in another cute song pondering upon the future, as someone who likes to write letters to my future self I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who spends too much time thinking about what may happen.

Visiting Hours – 85/100 The bridge of this song is so good. While the song might not be the most exciting or catchy, the little instrumental break and the bridge in the middle really make it worth re-listening. Once again KKB proves that they can sing about random occasions in life.

If I’d Known –  77/100 Once again the bridge on this song carries this song but overall I’d say its weaker than Visiting Hours, probably on part to a song like Dump or something.

Sometimes – 80/100 I appreciate the effort to have group vocals even if I think their voices aren’t the best, though the sentiment of singing it all together is noted. The chorus t this song is better than I remember 

Swimming – 95/100 There is no reason for this song to be as catchy as it is. I remember vividly in the summer when I’d be down or looking for slower music and this song would simply pop up like a bad advertisement, in a good way though. If I’m ever frustrated I like to play this song to calm me down, not sure why.

Rest Stop – 75/100 Not sure if I’d end an album like this but to each their own. The first part is good but I was never the biggest spoken word fan so the ending is just fine in my eyes.

Final Score: 85/100

    Truly the most cop out score I could ever give an album, especially when I still grapple with which album I prefer. I’d definitely say that I listen to this album more than Bonito Generation these days as I think I’ve sort of reached the cap on how much cutesy music I could realistically listen to, not to say that the songs on this album aren’t as cute. With a noisy backdrop and more ambitious themes, Time ‘n’ Place is definitely the KKB album for anyone who couldn’t find the value in Bonito Generation. While it may not be as consistent as its predecessor Time ‘n’ Place managed to replace it with highs and lows that exceed Bonito Generation leading to a more satisfying product.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 1" What The Hell is This?

Image
      Look, Danny Devito was the only reason this show had any sort of foothold in my mind. I kept on repeating I'm the trash man through many of my younger years, and frankly, after looking at the absurd number of seasons, I've always been wary of starting this sitcom. In fact, I had even given it a shot before this, but no Devito, oddly low quality and format for the time period, and just general wariness had kept me from going past the pilot. Not to mention, you watch the first episode and just ask yourself, is this kind of racist? Is it bad that I might be laughing at how completely racist these characters are? Anyways, I did manage to get past the first episode, and even managed to complete a season, and I can safely say that I now understand what people mean when they point to this show to prove that "cancel culture has not ruined comedy". I mean in only seven episodes, the show decides to deal with racism, gay people, abortion, cancer, underage drinking, a litt...
Read more

"System Of A Down - Toxicity" Stick it Out for the Second Half

Image
      I have in fact tried listening to this album before. I remember Anthony Fantano saying he really loved Toxicity , so I decided to put on Prison Song  at 12 pm, before promptly realizing this is exactly the kind of music I'd rather not listen to going to sleep, and that the song was really on the nose. Other than that I have absolutely no prior experience with System Of A Down other than Chop Suey!  which is a lovely song that Jeff Rosenstock continues to play before every single one of his shows (thankfully). So I suppose I won't pretend to deliberate further because I'm not particularly a big metalhead either, so I doubt any knowledge I might impart would be useful. So without further ado, my track-by-track review. Toxicity - System Of A Down Prison Song  - 55/100 While the chorus and the song in general goes pretty hard, I have to say just the whole delivery of the verses is really holding this song back. Well other than the fact that it's pretty mu...
Read more

"McKinley Dixon - Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?" Living Up To It's Name, and More

Image
      Do I listen to Jazz that often? Absolutely not. Do I know anything about McKinley Dixon? Nope. What I do know is that my friend Sweaty recommended this album, and when I listened to the track Run, Run, Run , Dixon's most popular track on Spotify I was absolutely hooked. All I know is that it is rated extremely high and it's very short for an album, so we'll see how that plays out. And without further ado, my track-by-track review. Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? Hanif Reads Toni -  N/A Despite being over 2 minutes long I do think doing a spoken word poem is a cool intro. Especially with the music in the background, it creates this sort of tension and build up for when the music finally kicks in. Sun, I Rise - 80/100 Generally when it comes to rap music I'm not too picky about the songs in the sense that I just need a good beat and/or a catchy chorus to hook me, and the rest will come. I can confidently say that I feel that way about this song. The instrumentation in ...
Read more