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::k4:
a r t i s t :: David Kitt
t i t l e :: The Big Romance
d a t e :: 2001-00-00
l a b e l :: Blanco y Negro Records
g e n r e :: Alternative
s o u r c e :: CD
b i t r a t e :: 230 kbps avg
e n c o d e r :: LAME
t r a c k s :: 10
p l a y t i m e :: 55:11
s i z e :: 96 MB
tracklist
1 Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 5:20
2 You Know What I Want To Know 3:51
3 Step Outside In The Morning Light 5:28
4 Private Dance 2:35
5 Pale Blue Light 5:34
6 What I Ask 7:54
7 Strange Light In The Evening 5:54
8 Whispers Return The Sun, Rest The Moon 6:13
9 You And The City 6:43
10 Into The Breeze 5:39
releasenotes
The demo collection Small Moments under his belt, Kitt made a formal debut
with The Big Romance, which wisely doesn't attempt to suddenly exchange the
rough charm of the earlier collection with a too-polished sound. Accompanied
by a variety of regular backing musicians but handling the lion's share of
work himself, Kitt creates his own enjoyable spin on lo-fi-meets-lush
arrangements, creating his own particular electric-acoustic genre blend
without simply imitating Beck, say. David Gray may be the most immediate
reference point based on some of his breakthrough work, but that's misleading,
as Kitt has a gentler approach. It's little surprise that Kitt toured with
bands like Yo La Tengo and Arab Strap based on The Big Romance -- there's a
similar emphasis towards letting less say a lot more, and Kitt's general
undemonstrativeness is a key strength. The folky core of his music suggests a
smoother and less melancholy Nick Drake at points, but besides having a higher
register, Kitt's ear for electronic percussion, soft keyboards, and unfussy
arrangements results in something else entirely: quietly haunting, mesmerizing
songs. Even the most traditional sounding songs, like "Step Outside in the
Morning Light" and "Strange Light in the Evening" end up with a gently glazed,
soft psychedelic feeling that's not too unsettling but is just fine as it is,
sometimes achieving surprising. The concluding piano/keyboard part on the
former and the treated vocals and backwards guitar on the latter are downright
magical. The semi-mantric midsong break of "What I Ask" is another good
example, the combination of beats, guitars, and wordless vocals building into
a quietly uplifting serenity. Lyrically, Kitt stumbles a bit -- there's little
that immediately leaps out as being memorable or striking on its own -- but
given his various other strengths, that's not really a worry at all.
http://www.davidkitt.net
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David_Kitt-The_Big_Romance-2001-k4_int